Design
In January 2022, Governor Spencer Cox and Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson initiated the More Than A Flag campaign, encouraging Utahns to contribute their suggestions for a new state flag design. By the April 2022 deadline, over 7,000 residents had submitted their ideas. Among these were 5,702 flag designs, including 2,500 from students, with contributions coming from all 29 counties in Utah.
All the final designs were influenced by submissions from Utah residents, who learned about the flag campaign through widespread media coverage and advertisements. Educators and volunteers held flag design workshops for youth leaders and classrooms. School districts, Tribal leaders, public libraries, and community groups received detailed briefings via mail and email. The Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement used its social media channels to attract audiences to the Flag.Utah.gov website, which offered resources in five languages. Over 100 volunteers used their professional skills to support and promote the campaign. These combined efforts led to more than 7,000 submissions. "A display of the submissions served as a statewide art appreciation class," remarked Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, who headed the Utah State Flag Task Force.
The Design Review Subcommittee, composed of volunteer designers and artists, evaluated the submissions from Utah residents statewide. They selected 70 standout designs featuring popular themes and symbols like beehives, mountains, and colors representing Utah's red-rock canyons.
Following this, a team of professional Utah designers was enlisted to develop 20 semi-final flag designs from these inspirational concepts. These 20 designs were then showcased in pop-up exhibitions at the Utah State Capitol, Cache County’s Historic Courthouse in Logan, and Southern Utah University’s campus in Cedar City. Approximately 44,000 Utahns shared their feedback on the designs through surveys.
