You could design Allen County’s first official flag– here’s how

As Allen County prepares to celebrate its bicentennial in 2024, officials are kicking off the year with the search for a new flag. 

On January 1, the Allen County Bicentennial Executive Board (BEB) started accepting flag design submissions. Currently, Allen County does not have an official flag and is using the old seal on a white background.

According to the press release, this is a common design for cities, counties, and states, but many communities are opting to update their flags to be more representative of a civil flag as opposed to a government entity flag. 

Submissions for the flag design competition will be accepted until March 29, 2024. Submissions can be uploaded to the designated portal, or sent via email or mail. The BEB says designs ranging from professional rendering to crayon drawings are welcome. 

“This is a great way to get people involved and excited about our county’s bicentennial as well
as to get students engaged,” says Kate Dippold, the county’s legislative liaison. “We hope
people no matter their age or artistic ability will consider participating in the competition.”

Each person is allowed to submit up to three flag designs for consideration. According to the press release, officials decided to open the competition up to anyone, meaning submissions to not have to come from Allen County residents, but individuals will be asked about their connection to Allen County on the submission form. 

“It was important for us to take off the guard rails of geography,” explains Curt Witcher, director of special collections and manager of The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library and a bicentennial executive board member, “There are many people who have made Allen County home at some point, but have moved on to a different state, or even a different country. We cannot know those whose lives have been touched by this community in some way. We will get a better end product with more options from more people.”

Every submission will be evaluated by a panelist selected by the BEB. Those panelists will then help the BEB select five designs to be shared with the public for a popular vote and comments.  

Winners of the flag design competition will be recognized on Flag Day, June 14, 2024, at the official flag unveiling.

The guidelines for the competition offer advice on the design from the booklet “‘Good’ Flag, ‘Bad’ Flag” by Ted Kayee. They are:
 

1. Keep it simple
2. Use meaningful symbolism
3. Use two or three basic colors
4. No letting or seals
5. Be distinctive

For more information on the flag competition, click here