COLUMBIA, TN — The City of Columbia has established a design competition to create an official city flag and Columbia residents are invited to take part in the process by submitting their original flag designs January 23 through March 15, 2023. The final, winning design will be announced on April 20, 2023. The City is excited to give the public an opportunity to participate in the design process, as it will reflect and symbolize our community. Designs can be submitted on the City’s website at https://www.columbiatn.com/727/Columbia-Flag-Project.
All entries will be judged based on flag criteria presented in the competition guidelines then narrowed down to three final designs. The public will have a chance to vote April 1-15, 2023, on the final three designs chosen by the Columbia Arts Council. The winning design will reflect Columbia’s pride, rich history, promising future, and embody what makes Columbia special and unique, using meaningful symbolism and minimal color & design features.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this flag design competition that will result in the first official flag for the city of Columbia,” said Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder enthusiastically. “A flag creates identity, establishes symbolism, and promotes unity, and I can’t wait to see the final product. Our community is full of creative individuals from all walks of life, and I am particularly pleased that this will be a public driven process. And, I am also excited that this project is being led, in part, by Nathaniel Bliss, a local Scout with Troop 111, who brought forward the idea as part of his Eagle Scout project. I encourage all members of the community to participate in what will be a project that will be historic in nature given its long term, lasting effects.”
Nathaniel Bliss is eager to see the end result of this process. “I chose the flag design competition as my Eagle Scout project because I am interested in flags and what they represent, as well as the impact they have on a community,” stated Bliss. “I recognized that Columbia did not have a flag and felt it was time our city got one. A flag symbolizes a city, its history, culture, and people of all backgrounds. It unifies the community and provides something to rally around. As a proud resident of Columbia, I thought our historic city deserved such an important symbol.”
Basic rules and guidelines include but are not limited to: (1) Submit an original flag design by March 15, 2023; (2) Competition is limited to Columbia, TN residents only; (3) No compensation will be given for any designs submitted; (4) Only one entry per resident; and (5) All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate.
For a complete list of rules and information regarding the Columbia Flag Project, visit the City’s website at https://www.columbiatn.com/727/Columbia-Flag-Project.
