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Submissions for Burlington flag competition ends this Sunday

Submitted by tim on

Vermont Business Magazine Public submissions for a new Burlington city flag will end this Sunday at11:59 p.m.Burlington City Arts is encouraging anyone that lives, works, attends school in, or owns a business in Burlington to submit a design.

Burlington is joining cities across the country in updating its flag to capture the spirit and character of its community today. Mayor Miro Weinberger first announced the city flag redesign project at a City Council meeting in January. City Council unanimously endorsed the public redesign competition, and the Mayor selected Burlington City Arts, the City of Burlington’s cultural planner, to lead the public competition process.In keeping with the spirit of community unity from the 1990 contest that led to the current City of Burlington flag, all residents of Burlington are encouraged to submit a design.


"A great city deserves a great flag to mark its municipal buildings and special events,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. "I’m excited to see what the public creates in the months ahead.”

Submissions will be accepted online untilOctober 15. [Burlington City Arts] will be gathering a small committee made up of Burlington residentsto select the finalists. Public votingwill start onOctober 20and end onNovember 17.

The winning design will be chosen and announced onNovember 20.The winning design will receive a $250 honorarium, one-year membership to Burlington City Arts, and a flag of their design.The flag will be unveiled at City Hall during First Night onDecember 31.

Those interested in submitting must be a resident of Burlington or own a Burlington business. All designs must be submitted online atwww.burlingtoncityarts.org/btvflagand meet the submission requirements. Those without computer access are encouraged to visit the Fletcher Public Library to scan and submit their designs

The current city flag was created in 1990 when eighth-grader Cara Wick and has been proudly flown at City Hall ever since

Submissions should follow theFive Basic Principles of Flag Design:

  • Keep it Simple: A flag should be so simple that a child could draw it from memory.
  • Use Meaningful Symbolism
  • Use Two to Three Basic Colors
  • No Lettering or Seals
  • Be Distinctive or Be Related
Submission Requirements:
  • Your design must havea 2:3 or 1:2 ratio.
  • Designs will only be accepted online atwww.burlingtoncityarts.org/btvflag
  • Your submission must be in a JPEG or GIF format.
  • The design should follow the Five Basic Principles of Flag Design.
  • You can submit one design. More than one submission will not be considered.
  • You must live, work, or own a business in Burlington.
  • Designs must be original.
  • Designs must be positive in spirit.
  • Designs with religious symbols will not be considered.
  • Designs construed as hateful, defamatory, or discriminatory will not be considered.
  • Designs with references to alcohol, drugs, or illicit activities will not be considered.
  • Anonymous submissions forfeit any right to any honorarium.
  • In the event of significantly similar or identical designs, the artists’ statements will be considered in the scoring. Should the artists’ statements also reflect a significantly similar design process, the first design submitted will be considered.
About Burlington City Arts
Burlington City Artsisdedicated to connecting community to the arts through creation, experimentation, and education in all forms of contemporary art. BCA offers exhibitions, special events, classes, workshops, and many other activities in Burlington.

Burlington, VT (October 11, 2017)