Awareness Ribbons Guide: Colors and Meanings
You know what an awareness ribbon is— do you know how many of them there are, or what the different colors and patterns represent? New awareness ribbons are being created every day and the many different causes total in the hundreds. If you’d like to support a cause by wearing an awareness ribbon, look no further than this guide.
Below, we outline a brief history of awareness ribbons and different ways to show support. Then, we break down awareness ribbons by color category and list the causes that each color represents. New movements are adding awareness ribbons at a rapid rate, but we’ve done our best to capture a comprehensive list of causes. If you’d like to find the colors for a specific cause or disease, press Control + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac), then type the term into the search bar that appears.
History of Awareness Ribbons
The history of awareness ribbons is not completely clear, though they likely stem from a practice during medieval times when ladies gave jousting knights tokens of their affection and esteem. Some believe that the ribbons first rose to prominence in the United States during the Civil War when women supposedly wore yellow ribbons to symbolize their loved ones fighting on the battlefield.
There’s little historical evidence for the Civil War theory, but the yellow ribbon was the first notable use of awareness ribbons in the U.S. The first use of a yellow ribbon occurred in November 1979 when Penney Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree outside her house in honor of her husband, U.S. Ambassador Bruce Laingen, who had been taken hostage when Iranian revolutionaries seized the American embassy in Tehran. She was inspired to do this by the old song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”
Laingen and his fellow hostages were finally released in January 1981, but awareness ribbons were here to stay. Yellow ribbons have more broadly come to symbolize support for soldiers fighting abroad, at least in the U.S., but they have different meanings in other countries. (For example, in the U.K., yellow ribbons are usually used to raise awareness for missing persons, while they symbolize the democracy protest movement in Hong Kong.) Now, more than 100 causes are associated with awareness ribbons of all different colors.
How to Show Awareness
Of course, you can wear a ribbon itself—but there are many more ways to show your support beyond a simple ribbon. For example, let’s take breast cancer, one of the most well-known health awareness causes. You can buy breast cancer awareness shirts and even compression socks, clogs and nursing bags. Not every cause, especially less well-known diseases, will have as many cause-specific options available.
Since many awareness campaigns share the same color or have multiple alternate colors (as you’ll notice from our list below), you might want to be ready to explain what specific cause you’re advocating for. Below, we break down the many types of awareness ribbons by color family: red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, neutrals, color combinations and patterns.
Red
Amber: Appendix Cancer
Burgundy: Adhesions, Adults with Disabilities, Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, AV Malformation, Brain Aneurysm, Cesarean Section, Cystic Hygroma, Disabled Adults, Factor V Leiden, Headaches, Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation, Hereditary Hemochromatosis, Hospice Care, Hughes Syndrome, Lymphatic Malformation, Meningitis, Meningococcal Meningitis, Migraine, Multiple Myeloma, PHACES, Post-Polio Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anemia, Sturge-Weber Syndrome, Thrombophilia and Williams Syndrome
Cranberry: Fibromyalgia
Peach: Endometrial Cancer, Uterine Cancer, Vaginal Cancer
Pink: Breast Cancer, Birth Parents, Nursing Mothers
Red: AIDS/HIV, Aplastic Anemia, Apert Syndrome, Blood Cancers and Disorders, Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BOS), Burn Victims, Cardiovascular Disease, Congenital Heart Defects, Congenital Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, Courage and Inspiration, DARE, Diamond Blackfan Anemia, Driving under the Influence, Dysautonomia, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Evans Syndrome, Factor XI Deficiency, Heart Disease, Hemophilia, High Blood Pressure, Huffing, Hypertension, Inhalant Abuse, Long Q-T Syndrome, Love, Lymphoma, MADD, Marfan Syndrome, Poland Syndrome, Project Red Flag, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Sniffing Abuse, Stroke, Substance Abuse, Supraventricular Tachycardia, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Tuberculosis, Von Willebrand's Disease, Wegener's Granulomatosis, Wolf-Parkinson-White
Yellow
Yellow: Adenosarcoma, Adoptive Parents, Amber Alert, Bladder Cancer, Canadian Cancer Society, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Complementary/Alternative Medicine, Endometriosis, Equality, Ewing’s Sarcoma, Gulf War, Hydrocephalus, Liver Cancer, Liver Disease, Missing Children, Myxoid Liposarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Obesity, POW/MIA, Remembrance, Sarcoma, Spina Bifida, Suicide Awareness, Troop or Military Support
Blue
Blue: Alopecia, Anal Cancer (alternate), Ankylosing Spondylitis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Anti-Bullying, Apraxia, Arthritis, Brachial Plexus Injuries, Child Abuse, Children’s Healthy Weight, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Colitis, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Crime Victims’ Rights, Crohn’s Disease, Cru du Chat Syndrome, Drowning Awareness, Dysautonomia, Dystonia, Drunk Driving, Education, Epstein-Barr Virus, Erb’s Palsy, Familial Polyposis, Free Speech, Foster Care Awareness, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Hydrocephalus (U.S.), Huntington’s Disease, Hurricanes, Histiocytosis, Ichthyosis, Interstitial Cystitis, Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Juvenile Arthritis, Krabbe Disease, Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Leukodystrophies, ME/CFIDS, Myositis, Police Lost in Line of Duty, Prevent School Violence, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (IO), Pompe Disease (also denim blue), Restless Legs Syndrome, Steven Johnson Syndrome, Teens against Smoking, Transverse Myelitis, Usher’s Syndrome, Victim’s Rights, Victims of Hurricane Katrina, Save the Music, Water Accidents, Water Quality, Water Safety, West Nile Virus
Light Blue: Addison’s Disease, Behcet’s Disease, Chronic Illness, Cushing Syndrome, DiGeorge Sequence, Graves’ Disease, Hyperaldosteronism, Hydrocephalus, Klinefelter’s Syndrome, Lymphedema, Men's Health, Pro Choice, Prostate Cancer, Scleroderma, Shprintzen Syndrome, Spay or Neuter Pets, Thyroid Disease, Trisomy 18, Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome
Navy Blue: Alopecia, ARDS, Arthritis, Child Abuse, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Colitis, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Crime Victims’ Rights, Crohn’s Disease, Drowning, Education, Epstein-Barr Virus, Erb’s Palsy, Free Speech, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Huntington’s Disease, Hurricane Katrina, Death of Police Officer on Duty, Mastocytosis, Rectal Cancer, Restless Legs Syndrome, Teens against Smoking, Victims’ Rights, Water Accidents, Water Quality and Water Safety
Pale Blue: Achalasia Disease
Periwinkle: Acid Reflux, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Eating Disorders, Eosinophilic Disorders, Esophageal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Pulmonary Hypertension, Small Intestine Cancer, Stomach Cancer
Robin’s Egg Blue: Pierre Robin Syndrome
Royal Blue: Child Abuse Awareness, Transverse Myelitis, Syringomyelia
Teal: Agoraphobia, Anxiety Disorder, Batten Disease, Cervical Cancer, Chiari Malformation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Ectodermal Dysphasia, Food Allergies, Fragile X Syndrome, Hoarding, Marker X Syndrome, Martin-Bell Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Ovarian Cancer, Panic Disorder, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Rape, Sexual Assault, Substance Abuse, Tourette Syndrome, Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), Tsunami Victims, Uterine Cancer, Vulvar Cancer
Turquoise: Addiction Recovery, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), Interstitial Cystitis, Native American Reparation, Renal Cell Carcinoma
Orange
Orange: Agent Orange, Cultural Diversity, Hunger, Leukemia, Lupus, Melanoma, Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma), Motorcycle Safety, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Racial Tolerance, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, Self-Injury, Sensory Processing Disorder, Spinal Cancer, Prader-Willi Syndrome
Green
Green: Adrenal Cancer, Bipolar Disorder, Bone Marrow Donation, Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BOS), Cerebral Palsy, Childhood Depression, Dwarfism Awareness, Depression, Environment, Eye Injury Prevention, Fanconi’s Syndrome, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, Freedom, Gastroparesis, Glaucoma, Growth and Rebuilding, Kidney Cancer and Disease, Kidney Donation, Leukemia, Literacy, Living Organ Donation, Manic Depression, Mental Health, Mental Illness (Bipolar), Mental Retardation, Missing Children Mitochondrial Disease, Nephrotic Syndrome, Neural Tube Defects, Neurofibromatosis, Organ Donation, Organ Transplant, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Pruned Belly Syndrome, Safe Driving, Pedestrian Safety, Save Darfur, Spinal Cord Injury and Research, Stem Cell Donor and Research, Tissue Donation, Traumatic Brain Injury, Von Hippel Lindau, Worker Safety
Jade: Hepatitis B, Liver Cancer
Light Green: Celiac Disease, Chronic Pelvic Pain, Human Papilloma Virus, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)
Lime Green: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Gastroschisis, Lyme Disease, Lymphoma, Muscular Dystrophy, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Lymph Node Cancer), Sandhoff Disease, Spinal Cord Injuries
Mint Green: Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, Genetic Disorders, Ivemark Syndrome
Purple
Lavender: Cancer (unspecified), Caregiver Appreciation, Epilepsy, Foster Care, Gynecological Cancer, Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis, Infantile Spasms, Rett Syndrome
Orchid: Testicular Cancer
Purple: ADD, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Animal Abuse, Anti-Violence, Arnold Chiari Malformation, Chronic Pain, Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Domestic Violence, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia in Men, GI Cancer (Intestinal), Harmony, Homelessness, Leiomyosarcoma, Lupus, Macular Degeneration, Mesh Survivor, Migraines (1st choice: alternate burgundy), Mucolipidosis, Neuropathy Awareness, No Unattended Kids in Cars, Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreatitis (Chronic), Religious Tolerance, Rett Syndrome, Sarcoidosis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Thymoma Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Victims of 9/11
Violet Ribbon: Hodgkin’s Disease, Testicular Cancer
Neutrals
Black: Accidents, Amish Support, Anti-Terrorism, Gang Prevention, Gun Control, Melanoma, Mourning, Narcolepsy, POW/MIA, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disorders, Students for Gun Control, Trauma
Brown: Anti-Tobacco, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Familia Polyposis, Tobacco Awareness
Copper: Herpes Simplex Virus
Cream: Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), Paralysis, Spinal Cord Injuries, Spinal Disorders, Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Gold: Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, Childhood Cancer, COPD, Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, Neuroblastoma, Osteosarcoma
Grey: Allergies, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Aphasia, Asthma, Brain Cancer, Brain Tumors, Diabetes, Mental Illness (Borderline Personality Disorder)
Pearl: Emphysema, Lung Cancer, Lung Disease, Mesothelioma, Multiple Sclerosis, Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia
Silver: Brain Disabilities, Brain Disorders, Campaign for the Brain, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), Disabled Children, Dyslexia, Elderly Abuse, Encephalitis, Niemann-Pick, Parkinson’s Disease, Schizophrenia, Sciatic Pain, VACTERL, Young Onset Parkinson’s Association (YOPA)
White: Adoptee, Adoption, Anti-Child Pornography, Anti-Pornography, Anti-War, Blindness, Bone Cancer, Bone Disease, Child Exploitation, Child Sexual Abuse/Assault, Community Support, Congenital Cataracts, Elderly Affairs, Hernia, Holocaust Remembrance, Hope and Support, Innocence, Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, Molestation Survivor, Online Sexual Predator Awareness and Internet Safety, Osteoporosis, Peace, Postpartum Depression, Retinoblastoma, Right to Life, Safe Motherhood, Salvation Army, Scoliosis, Stalking, Student Sexual Abuse, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Victims of Terrorism
Color Combinations
Black and Blue: loss of a brother, loss of a male child, mourning a brother, mourning a son
Black and Pink: loss of a sister, loss of a female child, mourning a sister, mourning a daughter
Black and Red: murder victims, murdered children, loss of a firefighter on duty
Black and White: Anti-Racism, Carcinoid Cancer, Diversity, Gifted Education, Transitions, Vaccine Awareness
Blue and Green: Anal Cancer, Pseudotumor Cerebri, a.k.a. intracranial hypertension
Blue and Purple: Pediatric Stroke, Rheumatoid Arthritis
Blue and Red: Congenital Heart Defects and Disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Osler Weber Rendu Syndrome (HHT), Noonan’s Syndrome, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Rare Lung Diseases, SADS
Blue and Yellow: Designated Drivers, Down Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Burgundy and Ivory: oral head and neck cancers, Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Throat Cancer, Laryngeal Cancer, Pharyngeal Cancer
Burgundy and Purple: Arachnoiditis
Dark Blue, Orange and Orchid: Psoriatic Arthritis
Gold and Silver: Hearing Disorders, Hearing Impairments, Meniere's Disease, Tinnitus
Light Green, Light Blue and Pink: Hypotonia
Marigold, Blue and Purple: Bladder Cancer
Orange and White: Bicycle Safety, Bike Helmet Safety
Orchid and Orange: Eczema, Psoriasis
Periwinkle and White: Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula 9EA/TEF
Pink and Blue: Amniotic Fluid Embolism, Baby Safe Haven, Birth Defects, Male Breast Cancer, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Hyperammonemia, Infant Loss, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, Premature Birth, Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, chILD (Pediatric Bronchiolitis Obliterans)
Pink, Purple and Teal: Thyroid Cancer
Purple and Black: Tracheostomy, Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Purple and Green: Stickler Syndrome, Schizencephaly
Purple, Teal and Green: Medullary Sponge Kidney (Cacchi-Ricci disease)
Purple and Yellow: Autoimmune Hepatitis, Chemical Injury and Lupus, Endometriosis
Red and Gold: Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT) Awareness
Red and Orange: Adiposis Dolorosa (Dercum's Disease)
Red and Pearl: Latex Allergy
Red and White: Aplastic Anemia, DVT, Head and Neck Cancer, Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, Oral Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Red, White and Black: Pernicious Anaemia and B12 Deficiency
Red and Yellow: Hepatitis C, HIV/HCV Co-Infection, surviving family members of suicide victims
Red, Yellow and Blue: all forms of Trisomy
Silver and Blue: Corpus Callosum
Teal and Purple: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault
Teal and White: Cervical Cancer
Patterns
Cow Print: Omphalocele
Beige with Giraffe Print: Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome
Beige with Royal Blue Trim: Hip Dysplasia
Black and White Stripes: Breast Implant Illness
Blue, Pink and Yellow with Clouds: Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Brown with Pink Dots: Persistent Cloaca
Gold and Blue with Diamond: Bohring-Opitz Syndrome
Grey with Red Heart: Juvenile Diabetes
Ivory with Rose: Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Light Green with Dark Blue Trim: Body-focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB)
Multi-Colored Flame: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Orange with Fox Tail: FOXG1
Purple and Teal with White Stars: Necrotizing Fasciitis
Purple and White Stripe: Relapsing Polychondritis
Puzzle: Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Quilt Design: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Rainbow: Adrenocortical Carcinoma,Gay Pride, Same Sex Marriage
Red with White Border: Chronic Venous Insufficiency Awareness
Royal Blue with Yellow Border: Mandibulofacial Dysostosis with Microcephaly
USA Flag: National Support, Fireworks Safety, Flag, World Trade Center Victims and Heroes
White with Blue Outline: Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
White and Red Polka Dots: Autoimmune Progesterone Dermatitis
White with Navy Pinstripe: Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)
White with Violet Polka Dots: Cold Urticaria
Yellow and Multicolored: Gilbert’s Syndrome
Zebra Stripe: Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Endocrine Cancer, Primary Immunodeficiency, Rare Disease Awareness, Stiff Person Syndrome, Vaccine Awareness
Zebra Stripes with Red: Hashimoto’s Encephalitis
Awareness ribbons can be confusing to navigate, but this guide compiles everything that you need to know in one handy place. It’s never too late to begin raising awareness for a cause or disease, and awareness ribbons are an easy place to start.