SALT LAKE CITY — The deadline is approaching to submit designs for a new Utah state flag.
The Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement has been traveling the state, soliciting ideas from Utahns about what it should look like. At the Boys & Girls Club of Murray, children participated by designing their own flags.
"Yellow means sun and red means hot," said 8-year-old Aiden, who showed FOX 13 News his design.
12-year-old Keegan created a flag with red and green colors to symbolize his family.
The Utah State Legislature passed a bill creating a commission to redesign the existing state flag, which has been criticized as being "boring" and described as "a state seal on a blue bedsheet." The new flag is meant to be instantly recognizable and more inclusive.
"Draw what you think Utah and Utah's flag should be," said Reneé Leta with the More Than a Flag initiative. "We’re asking everybody before April 30th to do this."
Already, the state has received hundreds of submissions.
"There’s the orange sand of the desert. There’s the Beehive to represent the older generations," said Bobbie Seher, who showed off her design.
Designs can be submitted at a number of community events and at a special website. People can design a flag or submit ideas in word form. By the end of the month, the state's flag commission will take the ideas and give them to professional artists to compile the top ones into designs for public comment.
By the end of the year, the legislature will choose one.
10-year-old Gabby drew one with a number of symbols to represent the state.
"I put a bee right there for all the bees in Utah and then the purple flower," she said.
