Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane have announced the launch of the 2026 Brooklyn Pin design competition. The initiative invites residents and students from across Brooklyn to submit their original pin designs by September 30, 2025. The winning design will be revealed at the 2026 State of the Borough address, where attendees will receive the new limited-edition pin.
“The Brooklyn pin is the people’s pin, and I am so excited for its redesign to be in the hands of creative Brooklynites,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Over the last two decades, the Brooklyn pin has become an iconic symbol of our borough’s cultural strength. Brooklyn is filled with people bursting with creativity and love for our borough, and I am excited to work with Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane to select the next creator of our limited-edition pin.”
Colm Dillane, known for his work as KidSuper and as a former student at Brooklyn Tech, guest-designed this year’s (2025) official pin using a font he developed during high school. Reflecting on his experience, Dillane said: “As many artists before me I used to doodle on my high school notebooks, I would always use this specific font that I would write bubble letters on all of the papers. This bubble letter font was something I would use on t-shirts, artwork, graffiti moving forward. What a full circle moment to use that same font and aesthetic for the official pin for the Brooklyn Borough President.”
Dillane added: “I am super excited and grateful to be working with the Brooklyn Borough President to help select the next artist who will have the honor of redesigning the Brooklyn pin. Brooklyn is home to so many incredible artists, and I hope this initiative builds a legacy that continues for many, many years to come.”
The tradition of distributing official pins began under former Borough President Marty Markowitz who popularized gold “Brooklyn” pins styled after those worn by members of the historic baseball team.
Eligibility requirements specify that entrants must either live in Brooklyn or attend a K-12 school in the borough; minors require parental consent. Designs must feature legible text naming “Brooklyn,” though nicknames or stylized forms such as BK or BKLYN are allowed. Entries should reflect originality while being suitable for production as pins between 1.29 and 1.49 inches wide.
Further details about submission guidelines can be found at https://www.brooklynbp.nyc.gov/arts/.
The selected design may undergo modifications prior to production in collaboration with Reynoso’s office before being distributed at next year’s State of the Borough event.
