Flag of Alaska

The Flag of Alaska has eight gold stars on dark blue. These stars form the Big Dipper and the North Star.

Alaska

Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	125:177
Adopted	July 9, 1927
Design	Eight gold stars, in the shape of "the big dipper", on a blue background. The North Star is larger than the other 7.
Designed by	Benny Benson

Creation

The flag was created in 1927 by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Alaska native. Up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag. Benson's design was chosen over 700 other submissions from school-children in grades 7–12. Most other entries showed the seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded $1,000 and an engraved watch. The Alaska Legislature adopted the flag on May 2, 1927. It was kept as the state flag upon statehood in 1959.

Alaska's Flag Song Lyrics

This song was made for the flag.

“

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue - Alaska's flag. May it mean to you The blue of the sea, the evening sky, The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby; The gold of the early sourdough's dreams, The precious gold of the hills and streams; The brilliant stars in the northern sky, The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high, The great North Star with its steady light, Over land and sea a beacon bright. Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear, The simple flag of a last frontier.

”

Related pages

• Alaska

Other websites

• Catalog of the "Eight Stars" exhibit Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine at the Alaska State Museum, in PDF format; requires Adobe Reader