Alaska

Alaska
Country	United States
Flag of Alaska
Designer	Benny Benson
Adopted	9 July 1927
Score in 2001 NAVA survey	7.96/10 (5th of 72)
Wikipedia article

The flag of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, an animal indigenous to Alaska. As depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate Polaris and determine true north, which varies considerably from a magnetic north.

The design was created by Benny Benson of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. Choosing the familiar constellation he looked for every night before going to sleep at the orphanage, he submitted this description with it: "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear—symbolizing strength."

Proposals for a New Flag of Alaska

Alaska Flag proposal by Zolntsa

Alaska Flag proposal 2 by Zolntsa

AK Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"

AK Flag Proposal "mowque"

AK Flag Proposal "Graphicology"

AK Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"

Alaska State Flag Proposal No. 11 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 29 SEP 2014 at 1135hrs cst

Alaska flag proposal 1 by Hans. Oct 2014. (details)

Alaska flag proposal 2 by Hans. Feb 2015. (details)

Alaska State Flag Symplistic Proposal. Very similar to the original’s simple composition featuring the Big Dipper or Great Bear. I changed the colors and highlighted the North Star which also represents the state itself. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.

Alaska State Flag Proposal No. 15 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 17 AUG 2015 at 1425 HRS CST.

Alaska State Flag Proposal No. 14 (Swallow Tail) Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 17 AUG 2015 at 1419 HRS CST.

AK flag proposal "5thEye"

Alaska flag proposal by lizard-socks. Sep 2013.

Current flag reduced to quarter size in canton - Field now with fully redrawn free clip art polar bear. Design by Rotten Ali.

Early design line left behind but still interesting. Featuring local tribal art Jade Gold and 20 local languages. Design pull together by Rotten Ali.

Proposal "two bears" for a flag for Alaska. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Symbolism

Flag of Russia/Russian-American Company

Flag of the Russian-American Company as used in Alaska

Alaska served as a territory of the Russian Empire from 1733 to 1867, and some flag proposals commemorate this heritage in their designs. The territory was governed by the Russian-American Company (Российская-Американская Компания) as chartered by Tsar Paul I for most of its history, with its capital situated in Novo-Arkhangelsk (Ново-Архангельск). The Russian Orthodox Church was awarded certain special privileges in regards to this new land and partook in efforts to convert Alaska Natives, resulting in the establishment of many Orthodox churches across the area and a lasting religious legacy in some native communities to this day. Facing financial and security concerns, the Russian Empire sold Alaska to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million.