After over 650 submissions, the new Salt Lake City flag was hoisted over Salt Lake City Hall on Friday.
“It’s up!” Mayor Erin Mendenhall declared in a tweet.
The flag’s shapes, colors and arrangement came down to two finalists, 18-year-old Arianna Meinking, and 17-year-old Ella Kennedy-Yoon, whose original designs were rated by the public earlier this fall. Both their design elements were combined into a single flag by the Salt Lake City Flag Design Committee.
The committee came to its conclusion by evaluating flags for their simplicity, meaningful symbolism, the use of 2-3 colors, lack of lettering or seals, and distinctive or related qualities.
The final design culminated in one white stripe, representing “the best snow on earth," and one blue stripe to represent The Great Salt Lake along with a sego lily.
Mendenhall’s office explained the significance of the flower in a news release. “[It is] a hardy flowering plant native to the valley and relied on by indigenous tribes for a variety of uses — represent[ing] the resilience of the City and its residents.” Its three petals also celebrate the city’s name, because it is “the only capital city in the nation with three words."
(Salt Lake City | Screen shot) This is the new flag approved for Salt Lake City. It was raised over City Hall on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.
City Council Chair Chris Wharton was one of the committee members who narrowed down the flag designs.
“I love that two young women are the visionaries behind this design that will carry Salt Lake City forward for years to come,” Wharton said.
Mayor Mendenhall called the flag “the highlight of 2020," and hopes that it will also inspire those who see it.
“I believe the people of Salt Lake City will feel the unifying effect of living and working under this shared banner,” she said.