SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Flag Commission will begin accepting designs for the new Illinois state flag on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The commission will take public submissions online or by mail through Friday, Oct. 18.
According to the Illinois Flag Commission's website, the commission will select 10 submissions for the design, which it will then open to the public to vote on a new design or vote to keep the present design, which has been in use for 55 years.
Public voting will open Jan. 1, 2025, and will remain open for six weeks. After the public vote, the flag commission will present the results to the Illinois General Assembly for its vote.
The goal of the vote, according to the commission, is to determine if a new flag design would better represent the state's urban, suburban and rural communities and promote state pride.
The commission's website provides several guidelines for flag design submissions, which include:
- No watermarks or frames are permitted on designs. File sizes must be 5mb or less in PNG, GIF or JPG format. No AI-generated designs will be accepted.
- There are no limits on color use, but less than three colors is recommended.
- Designers must provide their name, address, email address and phone number with their submission, and must explain their relationship with the state of Illinois.
- Submissions are limited to three per person.
- Minor may submit designs is submitted in coordination with a parent, guardian, teacher or mentor.
- Designers must allow the commission and the State of Illinois to take ownership of the design.
- Designs cannot be copied or use existing logos, but may use the state seal, prior flags, or natural features of the state.
Mail-in submissions can be sent to The Illinois Flag Commission, Howlett Building, Room 476 501 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756. Submissions from outside the U.S., such as from military bases, must be made by mail.
