Thank you to everyone who submitted a design for our T‑Shirt Design Contest for the 2026 IASP World Congress on Pain. The submission period has now closed, and we were delighted by the creativity and cultural richness of the entries.
Five finalist designs have been selected, which reflect the congress colors, pain research themes, and the spirit of Bangkok and Thailand. Now it’s your turn to choose the winner.
Review the five finalist designs below and then cast your vote using our short voting form. The design with the most votes will be printed as the official T‑shirt for the 2026 World Congress on Pain, and the winning artist will receive free registration to the congress. One vote per person, please.
Finalist Designs
Design 1
By Ahmad Qayyum
This design features Bangkok’s iconic Temple of Dawn paired with an elegant golden Kanok motif, reflecting Thailand’s rich cultural heritage. The artwork incorporates the official 2026 World Congress on Pain color palette, uses high-contrast elements optimized for dark T-shirts, and includes the official IASP Congress details.
Design 2
By Lana Zaqah
This design represents the spirit of the IASP 2026 World Congress on Pain in Bangkok, Thailand. It combines cultural elements like traditional Thai architecture and symbols with modern scientific imagery. The warm golden tones reflect hope and healing, while the blue background represents knowledge and professionalism. The overall design highlights the connection between culture, science, and global collaboration in pain research.
Design 3
By Juan Antonio Valadez
A modern line-art elephant inspired by Thai cultural motifs, paired with the Bangkok skyline to symbolize strength, wisdom, and the global gathering of the World Congress on Pain..
Design 4
By Wasimul Hoda
A four-quadrant design created for dark-colored T-shirts, integrating Thai cultural icons (elephant and tuk-tuk) with universal symbols of healing (lotus and meditation). The central radiating waves represent pain as a shared human experience and the global dissemination of knowledge. The design reflects the IASP World Congress by combining pain research, cultural context of Bangkok/Thailand, and the spirit of international collaboration in advancing pain science.
Design 5
By Sofia Fontana-Giusti
I drew this design by hand with fineliner pens on paper, which I scanned and manually coloured digitally using GIMP software. No AI or automation was used in making this design. It seems that we come into contact with hand-drawn images less and less these days, so I thought this might make a nice change. I drew this design while looking at various aspects of Thai art, crafts and culture. The national animal of Thailand, which is mirrored in the WCP2026 logo, is the ornately decorated elephant. This is a frequently occurring subject which I decided to highlight to honour the cultural heritage of the WCP 2026 host country. The elephant stands on a cloud symbolising importance and divinity and looks up at a modified version of the IASP logo encircled with Thai-inspired ornamental patterns. The elephant's trunk is raised slightly upwards as a sign of good fortune and auspiciousness. At either side of the elephant are lotus flowers emerging from the main cloud: these are important symbols of Buddhism and enlightenment, as the lotus flower rises out of dark, occluded waters in order to blossom. As well as this flower's significance inThai culture, this is also to highlight the aim of scientific conferences, of broadening our knowledge and finding some enlightenment. The lotus is also a hopeful symbol that can be related to chronic pain and its treatment; a symbol of blooming and thriving being possible even in dark or difficult circumstances. The lotus flowers end with a small flame at their point: a motif commonly seen in Thai art, perhaps a consequence of Buddhist, Hindu and local folk influences. Four small clouds frame the corners of the composition. The four colours I chose to use were the official 2026 WCP colours (blue, orange, gold and black). I kept to this colour scheme for greater congruity with the conference. I think that the vibrant gradient background of my design will look good printed on top of a dark T-shirt. I hope that you like my design and consider voting for it!
What Happens Next?
Voting will remain open until the end of 15 May. The winning design will be announced shortly after and produced for sale at the 2026 World Congress on Pain. We look forward to showcasing the creativity of our community.