The Topeka Flag Redesign Initiative of Forge released submission guidelines today for residents of Shawnee County interested in submitting a design to redesign the city flag.

The submission period closes at 5 p.m. CDT on August 31. Community feedback sessions will begin mid-September and be held throughout the fall. Submission guidelines are available at TopekaFlag.com.

“We hope this process leads to submissions from all ages, all corners of the community, and all levels of design experience,” said Leo Espinoza, who serves on the Forge leadership team and the flag initiative. “The final flag will be one the city will be extremely proud of.”

With encouragement from Mayor Michelle De La Isla and support from the Topeka City Council after its strategic planning session, a committee was formed to research the principles of flag design and the processes other communities have used to redesign their flags. After completing preliminary research, the committee presented its findings to the Topeka City Council and recently hosted a facilitated conversation and feedback session to identify the most important themes for the new Topeka flag.

“We believe redesigning the flag will enhance community pride. Continued growth in community pride will lead to increased recruitment and retention of young talent, directly in line with our mission as Forge,” said Gabriel O’Shea, executive director of Forge, Topeka’s young professionals’ organization.

The Forge flag initiative will submit the final flag design to the Topeka City Council by early 2019. Importantly, the process is not intended to replace the city’s seal, which will remain an important symbol of official city government business. The flag is codified, and its adoption requires the council’s approval.

XXX

Forge is Topeka’s organization for young professionals. It is free to join and works to attract and retain young talent to greater Topeka.

Submission guidelines (PDF) and community meeting photo (JPG) attached. Follow the effort's progress on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TopekaFlag and at TopekaFlag.com.

Contacts:
Gabriel O’Shea, Forge executive director and Topeka Flag Redesign Initiative committee member, 785.221.9240
Leo Espinoza, Forge leadership team, committee member, 785.295.3395
Michaela Saunders, Forge Leadership Team, committee member, 402.490.0165