State Flag Photo
The flag was designed by 13 year old Benny Benson in 1927. The Alaska American Legion held a flag design contest for the territory of Alaska. It could only be entered by all Alaskan children attending grades 7 through 12. Benny’s design was chosen out of more than one hundred entries.
Benny included a description with his entry outlining the meaning in his design:
• Blue field: The Alaska sky and the Alaskan flower, the forget-me-not.
• Big Dipper: The great bear as a symbol