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National COVID Memorial

The National COVID Memorial pairs physical monuments with augmented reality to shift whose stories are elevated in public memory. Locally-designed monuments serve as anchors for the Marked by COVID Lens, an AR experience built from personal photos and tributes contributed by bereaved families. Visitors explore remembrances and reflect on the lives lost and the inequities that determined who survived.

We're working toward federal recognition and permanent monuments in Washington DC and all 50 states.

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Marked by COVID Lens
  • Memorial tribute poster with a background of multiple small photos of various people, a central black and white photo of a man holding a baby, and a heartfelt message about honoring loved ones lost to COVID-19.
  • Memorial image for Donald Mills featuring a black and white photo of him, with a background of many smaller photos, a cloudy sky, and a message describing a virtual funeral service.
  • Memorial display with a photograph of Braden Wilson, dates 4/8/2005 to 1/5/2021, located outdoors among trees. The display includes a collage of small photos, a poem, and a tribute message.
  • A memorial display featuring a large collage of black-and-white portraits of various people with some color accents, and a central photo of a woman wearing a black hat and black clothing, making a peace sign. The display includes a Spanish text tribute describing the woman's battle with COVID-19 and her loss on July 29, highlighting her love for her family.
  • Memorial display for Mark Anthony 'Black Jack' Urquíza, featuring a large photo of him, his name, birth and death dates, surrounded by smaller memorial photos of various people in a digital collage.
  • Memorial display with a large photo of a smiling woman in a medical uniform, surrounded by smaller photos of her and others, honoring her as a hero, with her name, birth and death dates, and a message, outside a building.
  • Memorial tribute for Todd A. Dickie featuring a large portrait of him, surrounded by collage photos, with a background of trees and sunset, and a message honoring his life and legacy.
  • Memorial tribute image for Manuel Juarez, with a photo of him, his birth and death dates, and a heartfelt message. The background features a cloudy sky with a digital collage of numerous smaller photos of various people, creating a river of faces leading to the sky.
  • Memorial image for Genevieve Martinez, featuring a large central photo of her standing and smiling, surrounded by a collage of smaller black-and-white photos of various people, set against a blue sky with clouds and pink dots, with a heartfelt message about grief and remembrance.

Marked by COVID Lens: Commemorating loss at an unprecedented scale with augmented reality

Traditional memorials require travel and resources, often excluding those who need them most. Honoring more than a million lives requires scale impossible through memorials like the Vietnam Wall or AIDS Quilt.

Stand at a monument or open the Lens from home. Tap a face. Witness their story. Swipe to explore thousands more—each connecting you to a real person, their loss, and their community.

Accessible through Snapchat's free app using our custom AR Lens.

Click here to launch.

In the News

  • Forbes logo in blue text.

    “We cannot forget this tragedy."

    Read

  • Logos of the American public media organization NPR with red, black, and blue color blocks and lowercase letters n, p, r.

    "Don’t forget to remember: What it means to memorialize our collective traumas."

    Listen

  • The image features text on a black background with a grid pattern. It shows '99%' in large yellow font, and below it, the word 'INVISIBLE' in white uppercase letters.

    "Marked by COVID has created an infinitely expandable, shockingly human take on memorialization."

    Listen

  • Sociology Compass logo with a green background and a subtle compass graphic.

    "Organizers have woven Covid loss into the national fabric."

    Read

Installations from Coast to Coast

We've brought the National COVID Memorial to landmark sites nationwide—from the Washington Monument and 9/11 Memorial to Harvard Medical School and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. These installations build momentum toward permanent memorials in Washington DC and all 50 states by 2035.

  • Outdoor sculpture of a woman with a guitar in a park, composed of numerous small photographs of people. Palm trees and a building are in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    Los Angeles, CA

    October 2022 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with Marcos Lutyens and Christina Tafoya

  • A tall monument with numerous photographs attached to it, forming a spiral pattern, with a blue sky and clouds in the background.

    Washington, D.C.

    April 2023 at the Washington Monument

  • A star-shaped sculpture with numerous small photos attached to it, displayed outdoors in front of a modern building and trees, with people gathered around.

    Phoenix, AZ

    May 2023 at Banner Estrella Hospital

  • An art installation or digital display features a search bar with the word 'Search...' and a magnifying glass icon, superimposed over a starry night sky background.

    New Haven, CT

    May 2023 at Yale University’s Harkness Tower

  • A photo of a beach scene with a cloudy sky, mountains in the background, and a concrete barrier with graffiti in the foreground. Overlaid on the photo are numerous small, black-and-white and color images of people arranged in a vertical, twisting pattern, resembling a flowing ribbon or column.

    San Francisco, CA

    November 2023 at Baker Beach

  • Nighttime scene of people ice skating outdoors in an urban area with tall buildings, including a Christmas tree decorated with lights, and a fountain. An overlay of a digital cascade of small photographs is visible in the air.

    Chicago, IL

    December 2023 at Millennium Park

  • A memorial statue with numerous small photo plaques attached, forming a shape resembling a spray of water or flames, set against an evening sky with sunset colors and trees in the background.

    Tucson, AZ

    February 2024 at En Memoria COVID-19 Memorial

  • Memorial site with flowers and candles on a park bench; a large collage of photos and yellow patches is displayed above, representing people, in a park with leafless trees.

    New York, NY

    February 2024 at Central Park’s Memorial to Dr Li Wenliang, one of the first to identify the outbreak and an early pandemic victim.

  • A large tree with many bare branches in a backyard with a wooden fence, decorated with numerous photos of people arranged in the shape of a heart with a yellow outline and a smaller red heart inside.

    Wall, NJ

    February 2024 at Rami’s Heart COVID-19 Memorial

  • Interior view of a multi-story building with a large art installation made of numerous black-and-white photographs of people's faces, each framed with yellow and orange backgrounds, suspended from the ceiling and flowing down through the space, adjacent to a curved balcony.

    Boston, MA

    November 2024 at Harvard University Medical School’s Countway Library with BU School of Public Health and Creativity in the Time of COVID-19

  • Brooklyn, NY

    May 2025 at Greenwood Cemetery with Naming the Lost in partnership with City Lore and with a grant from the Mellon Foundation

  • Digital collage of numerous small portraits of diverse people, layered in a flowing pattern over a cityscape with tall modern buildings.

    New York, NY

    January 2025 at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum