Flag of Barbados

Barbados
A vertical triband of ultramarine, on the outer stripes, and gold, on the inner stripe, with a black trident head centred on the gold band.
The Broken Trident
UseNational flag, civil and state ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion2:3
Adopted30 November 1966; 57 years ago (1966-11-30)
DesignA vertical triband of ultramarine (hoist-side and fly-side) and gold with the black trident-head centred on the gold band.
Designed byGrantley W. Prescod
A white flag with a red cross, and the national flag of Barbados in the upper-left corner.
UseNaval ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion1:2
DesignA red cross on a white field, the national flag in the canton
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The flag of Barbados displayed at a festival.
Barbados flag at Carifiesta 2018, Montreal

The flag of Barbados was designed by Grantley W. Prescod and was officially adopted to represent Barbados at midnight on 30 November 1966, the day the country gained independence.

The flag was chosen as part of a nationwide open contest held by the government. Prescod's design won the over a field of one thousand entries. The flag is a triband design, with the outermost stripes coloured ultramarine, to represent the sea and the sky, and the middle stripe coloured gold, to represent the sand. Within the middle band is displayed the head of a trident. This trident is meant to represent the trident of Poseidon, most visibly held by Britiannia in Barbados' colonial coat-of-arms. The fact that it is broken is meant to represent the breaking of colonial rule in Barbados and independence from the British Empire.

After Prescod's design was selected as the winner of the contest, he was asked to make several flags as a personal request from Errol Barrow, the nation's first prime minister. Prescod constructed seven flags out of fabrics purchased from a department store. The flag was raised for the first time in a ceremony by Lieutenant Hartley Dottin of the Barbados Regiment.

From its independence in 1966, Barbados also had a royal standard for Queen Elizabeth II and a standard for the governor-general until 2021 when these flags were retired after Barbados officially became a republic. Barbados now uses the Presidential Standard.