Maine names winner of state flag redesign contest: Here's the 'beautiful, faithful' design

AUGUSTA, Maine — Adam Lemire of Gardiner was selected Monday as the winner of the Maine State Flag Redesign Contest.

“I am delighted by the number and quality of the submissions and the myriad of creative ways that everyone interpreted the law,” said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “It is important to note that most of the designs meet the letter of the law and will continue to represent our state, the Pine Tree State, beautifully in homes and dooryards on caps, flags and more."

Bellows said Lemire's design stood out as a "beautiful, faithful representation of an Eastern White Pine tree."

Should voters approve Question 5 in November, the design will become the state flag.

“I’m honored and excited to have my design chosen as the model for the potential new state flag,” said Lemire. “For my submission, I thought it appropriate to select Maine’s state tree, the Eastern White Pine. The design is based on those I observed in Capital Park and Viles Arboretum while on walks with my 3-year-old son. The final design is primarily based on an Eastern White Pine in Governor’s Grove at Viles Arboretum. There are 16 branches because there are 16 counties in Maine.”

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More than 400 submissions were made to the contest, coming from 42 different states as well as some submissions from abroad. Maine State Archivist Kate McBrien, Deputy Secretary Lelia DeAndrade and Deputy Secretary Joann Bautista, Gerald Talbot, Dr. Chandra Bhimull and retired journalist Bill Green aided Bellows in reviewing submissions and selecting the finalists.

Also helping were original bill sponsor Sean Paulhus, D-Bath, and legislators Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, Rep. Caleb Ness, R-Fryeburg, and Rep. Maureen Terry, D-Gorham.

“For symbols like our state flag to have meaning, they must bring people together - they must unite us,” said Bennett. “I congratulate Secretary Bellows for her understanding of this in soliciting the participation of the people of Maine and bringing together a committee representing the breadth of background, identity, and party to help her make this important decision. It was fun and meaningful, and I was honored to be a part of this historic, inclusive process.”

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The flag question will be Question 5 on voters’ state ballot in November, reading, “Do you favor making the former state flag, replaced as the official flag of the State in 1909 and commonly known as the Pine Tree Flag, the official flag of the State?”

No design will be pictured on the ballot itself.

“I’m honored to be part of this process,” said Nangle, chair of the State and Local Government Committee. “Our flag is something every Mainer should be proud of, and I look forward to seeing what Mainers across our state choose.”

The rules and design brief for the contest adhered to the law passed last year: An Act to Restore the Former State of Maine Flag. Should voters approve of Maine returning to a flag like the state flag from 1901 to 1908, the law requires the state flag to be: “Buff, charged with the emblem of the State, a pine tree proper, in the center, and the North Star, a mullet of 5 points, in blue in the upper corner; the star to be equidistant from the hoist and the upper border of the flag, the distance from the 2 borders to the center of the star being equal to about 1/4 of the hoist, this distance and the size of the star being proportionate to the size of the flag.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Adam Lemire wins Maine State Flag Redesign Contest