In 1927, 13-year-old orphan boy Benny Benson won a contest to design the Alaska state flag, inspired by the Big Dipper, North Star, and forget-me-nots. The blue background symbolizes the sky and forget-me-nots, while the gold stars represent wealth. Benson received $1,000 and a gold watch for his design, which he later donated to a state museum. The forget-me-not is now the official state flower.
An orphan boy designed the Alaska state flag in 1927, when Alaska was still a United States territory and long before it officially became a state in 1959. John Ben Benson, more commonly known as Benny Benson, was 13 years old when he submitted his design to a contest held by the governor of the territory, which was looking for a design for the territory’s flag. The seventh grader submitted several entries and found that one of them had won the competition when a telegram arrived in his classroom at a Seward orphanage.
The Alaska state flag depicts the unique beauty Benny Benson saw in his homeland. Inspired by the stars in the sky – the Big Dipper and the Pole Star – and the forget-me-nots growing in the fields, the boy drew the first entry of him. He became the winner out of more than 700 that were submitted by grades seven through twelfth.
The sky and forget-me-nots are symbolized by the blue background color. The stars are depicted in gold. The North Star stands for the fact that Alaska would become the northernmost state when it was eventually admitted to the union. Ursa Major, also known as Ursa Major, represents the strength of the state. Ursa Major is also called the Big Dipper.
Gold, the color of the eight stars on the Alaska state flag, stands for wealth. Alaska is fortunate to have many riches, including the mines that kickstarted the gold rush in the late 1800s. The state also has a large amount of wildlife living within it and marine life along its ribs.
Benny Benson was paid handsomely for his artistic endeavor. He received $1,000 US Dollars (USD) and a gold watch. On the back of the watch was an engraving of his winning design for the Alaska state flag, and later in his life he donated it to a state museum. He used the money to continue his education when he was older. He also had the pleasure of seeing his design first flown as a real flag in 1927. The only thing missing from his original design is the year 1867, the year the US bought Alaska from Russia, which officials decided to exclude.
The forget-me-not has been designated the official state flower. There are several types of forget-me-nots that grow in Alaska, but only one, the alpine blue variety, is the official flower. The perennial grows wild in many sites throughout the state.
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