In October 2008, Portland's Oregonian newspaper organized a contest to design a new flag for the State of Oregon, to suggest as a replacement for the present one.
Many people entered, with entries ranging from the quasi-heraldic-based to crayon-colored projects. I was delighted to find my entry published alongside many others in a full-color double-spread in the Sunday paper a few weeks later. But, as typical in our household, the paper ended up in the recycling bin before I remembered to save the page...
Definitely not original as far as the subject is concerned, but my flag design represents the two great currents of thought that seem to dominate around Civil War time: Oregonians are either Beavers or Ducks fans... I wanted to show the state as a unified place, and the choice of green as a background symbolizes the overall focus on the environment.