Vote for Portland’s New City Flag Design!
Portland's city flag has been in the news over the last few weeks, and the Bangor Daily News has led the charge with news coverage about the bizarre flag, and now they're sponsoring an online contest to replace it with a shiny new one!
The Bangor paper's partnership with Casco Bay High School senior Benjamin Coursey could generate a brand new design for the City, and we're all invited to participate in the process!
If you want to submit a design, keep in mind the five basic flag principles from the North American Vexillological Association:
- Keep it Simple: A flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory. Kids will have fun drawing Japan’s flag, but not so much fun with Turkmenistan’s elaborate carpet-like patterns.
- Use Meaningful Symbolism: The Star of David on Israel’s flag carries great meaning, but the symbol of a rifle found on Mozambique’s flag may not be the most positive icon to represent a country.
- Use Two to Three Basic Colors: Most flags get this right. Clearly South Africa didn’t get this memo — it has six colors on its flag.
- No Lettering or Seals: Mexico has an extremely complicated seal on its flag — an eagle holding a serpent, perched atop a prickly pear cactus, atop a rock that hovers over a lake. Try drawing that, kids!
- Be Distinctive or Be Related: Scandinavian flags are part of a family, but Australia and New Zealand’s flags are virtually identical.
Ready to give it a shot?
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