Flag and seal of Illinois

State of Illinois
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion3:5
AdoptedJuly 6, 1915; 111 years ago (1915-07-06) (initial version) September 17, 1969; 57 years ago (1969-09-17) (alteration)
DesignA state seal above the word Illinois in blue on a white field.
Designed bySharon Tyndale
Great Seal of the State of Illinois
Details
ArmigerState of Illinois
Adopted1868
Supporters7
Motto"State Sovereignty, National Union"

The flag and Seal of the State of Illinois are the state's official symbols. The seal is used on official state documents. The top part of the seal has the words "Seal of the State of Illinois" The date Aug. 26th 1818 (on which Illinois was declared a U.S. State) is at the bottom of the seal. A bald eagle is in the middle.

Secretary of the State Sharon Tyndale made an updated version for the seal in 1867.

Illinois' state flag

The state's flag was chosen in 1915. The flag has the state seal of Illinois surrounded by white. This original design was changed in 1961 to add the name of the state at the bottom of the flag. It originally did not have the word Illinois at the bottom of the flag. But in 1969, the state word was added to the flag. The 1969 edition of Illinois' flag is the version that was used from then on.

Flag of Illinois (1915–1969)

2025 flag change

On December 10th, 2024, 10 finalists for a new Illinois state flag were released. They were chosen from thousands of designs in a flag redesign competition to be put to a public vote from January-February 2025. In addition to those designs, people could vote to adopt the Centennial Flag, the Sesquicentennial Flag, or the current flag. When the votes were counted, 43% voted to keep the current flag.

Anniversary flags

References

  1. ↑ "The Illinois State Seal". The Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Illinois Facts". Illinois.gov. Archived from the original on 2010-06-28. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  3. ↑ Illinois Flag Commission (Illinois Office of the Secretary of State) (December 10, 2024). "TOP 10 FINALISTS - New State Flag Design Contest" (PDF).