Flag of Alaska

What the Alaska state flag looks like

The state flag of Alaska is a deep blue rectangle carrying eight five-pointed gold stars. Seven of them form the pattern of the Big Dipper (part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear) on the field. The eighth star represents Polaris, the North Star, and the 'Pointers' of the Dipper point toward it.

There is no text, border or emblem. The design uses just two colors, blue and gold. The Alaska Statutes set out the exact proportions and star placement, and require the blue to be the same shade as that used in the U.S. flag.

Alaska flag meaning and symbolism

Benny Benson explained the design in his contest entry. The blue stands for the Alaska sky and for the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star stands for the future state, because Alaska was the northernmost part of the United States. The Big Dipper represents the Great Bear, a symbol of strength. The Alaska Statutes add that the blue also recalls the evening sky, the sea, mountain lakes and wildflowers, while the gold signifies the wealth hidden in Alaska's hills and streams.

The stars were chosen for simple reasons that people still cite when asking why the Big Dipper is on the Alaska flag: the constellation is easy to find in the northern sky, and its stars can be used to locate Polaris and true north. The eight stars are not a count of anything, such as districts. They are just the seven stars of the Dipper plus the North Star.

History of the Alaska flag

For decades after the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the territory had no flag of its own. The Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a contest for schoolchildren in grades seven through twelve, with roughly 700 entries. In 1927 the committee chose the design of fourteen-year-old Benny Benson, an Alaska Native who lived at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward. He is often called an orphan, but his father was still alive when he made the design. He won a $1,000 scholarship and an engraved watch.

The Alaska Legislature adopted the design as the official flag of the Territory of Alaska on 2 May 1927. When Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, the same flag was retained as the state flag. The flag's symbolism is described in the state song, "Alaska's Flag."

Many people also search for the "Russian Alaska flag." That refers to the flag of the Russian-American Company, which governed the colony before 1867, and it is a separate flag with no connection to the current one.

Interesting facts

• Alaska is often mentioned as the state flag designed by a teenager; Benson was 14 when his design was chosen.
• The state song, "Alaska's Flag," is about the flag itself.
• Alaska is one of only two U.S. states that is not part of the contiguous 48 states; the other is Hawaii.

See more designs in our collection of U.S. state flags or compare it with the flag of the United States.