MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota officials have whittled thousands of submissions for the state’s new flag and seal to a handful of standout designs in each category.
The State Emblems Redesign Commission met Tuesday to narrow down the designs and unveiled them in the evening. The commission took a motion to make six flags finalists.
Here are the top six flag designs:
The top five seals have not been released.
Residents will be able to provide feedback on the contending designs.
SERC received 2,123 flag designs and 398 seal submissions in October and revealed the finalists earlier this month. Flags comprised 85% of submissions, with the remaining 15% being seal designs. Unsurprisingly, many of the submissions featured iconography such as water, loons and stars. More tongue-in-cheek designs included tater tot hotdish and Minnesotan slogans like “uff da.”
Proponents of changing the design say the main image on the current flag, first flown in 1957, and the seal, adopted in 1861, is offensive. It shows a White settler tilling the land, as a Native American on horseback rides off into the distance.
Critics also say the flag’s design violates “good flag design” tenets such as simplicity and symbols rich with meaning.
State statute says the new designs “must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota’s shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities.” However, “symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design.”
SERC must submit a report with the new designs to the state legislature by Jan. 1 and they will be officially adopted by Statehood Day, which is May 11.
