State flag, emblem ideas to be cut to 5 finalists Tuesday

By KSTP

(Credit: KSTP)

(KSTP) – On Tuesday, another step will be made forward by Minnesota leaders in finding a new state flag and emblem.

The commission tasked with choosing the five finalists is expected to narrow the field down to five after thousands of submissions were sent in by citizens. The public’s design ideas ranged from loons, north stars and northern lights to those that are more humorous. To see the state flag submissions, click here. To see the state seal submissions, click here.

The redesign commission is scheduled to meet virtually for four hours starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday. They say their goal is to narrow the options.

Another meeting is scheduled to last until 9 p.m. if it is necessary, so there may not be a quick consensus. It’s also possible a public submission is tweaked slightly for final consideration.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last month, the commission asked Minnesotans for ideas, and people submitted more than 2,600 designs.

The process started after state lawmakers decided last session to develop and adopt a new design for the officials state seal and flag no later than January 1.

They then created a commission to come up with a design that accurately and respectfully reflects Minnesota’s shared history, resources and diverse cultural communities.