A competition was held in 1966 to find a Barbados flag that would represent the country. A local art teacher, Grantley Prescod, won the competition with his blue and yellow design.

Prescod's flag has blue strips that represent the blue seas and a golden patch that symbolizes the country's beautiful sand. The trident without a shaft placed in the middle of the Barbados flag indicates a break with their colonial past. It is also the emblem of the sea god, Neptune, and reflects the importance of the sea to Barbados.