Ahead of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, a competition was announced to create the official championship medals, and the honor was awarded to Angelika Larsson, an industrial design student at Konstfack in Stockholm. With a design inspired by the very core of hockey – the ice – she has created a unique symbol of struggle, strength and success.
“I feel an immense sense of pride and I am incredibly honored to be part of ice hockey history" Angelika Larsson says.
Angelika recalls how she first saw information about the competition on a bulletin board at Konstfack and immediately knew she wanted to participate. Combining her passion for sports with her background in design felt like a dream come true. The process began with traditional sketches on paper, where she experimented with shapes and details. She then transformed her ideas into digital 3D models, allowing her to explore depth and proportions to achieve the perfect balance.
A championship medal is something truly special, preserving memories long after the final puck drop and the last whistle. Angelika drew her inspiration from one of the most iconic elements of ice hockey – the ice. Instead of simply portraying it as a smooth surface, she chose to work with cracked ice, a design choice that carries profound symbolism.
"It was particularly exciting to work with the idea of cracked ice, as it is formed by external forces. This created fascinating parallels to the sport, where players constantly face challenges and must endure both physical and mental hardships," Angelika says.
Beyond the ice texture, the medal features a circular hole, a detail that symbolizes the dynamic movement of a puck on the ice. This element represents not only the energy of the game but also the journey and obstacles teams must overcome to achieve success.
And success was exactly what Angelika achieved when her design was chosen as the winning entry.
"It feels almost surreal and hard to grasp that my design will live on in this context. My younger brother described it as 'the biggest thing that has ever happened,' and in many ways, it truly feels that way – an absolutely incredible experience," she says.
Having her design selected for something as prestigious as the World Championship medals marks a major milestone in Angelika's career. Her creation will soon hang around the necks of future world champions – a thought that still feels overwhelming to her.
"Ever since I was little, I have gone to hockey games with my dad whenever possible. What I have always loved about ice hockey is the strong sense of teamwork – not only on the ice but also in the stands. It creates a powerful atmosphere where you truly feel like part of something bigger."