National

USA TODAY announces winners of 'Fly Your Flag' student civics contest

By Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Victoria K., a 6th grader from Temecula, California, said this about her submission: "The flag that I made represents unity, diversity, and cohesion. It shows that we are all one nation under God and that we are all equal — no matter what our outside looks like. And even though we are all different in our own way, the same color of blood runs through our veins. It shows the strength that people have from different backgrounds and races. But it also shows that we are in this together. Not just as a nation, but as a community. The hands represent different races from all over the world that live in America. Because in America, we are not just one race. We just live in America and have that nationality. My flag shows how far we have come in unity and acceptance. It shows we are not just one boring color. Each and every race, nationality, and skin color is beautiful. My flag represents freedom and still includes the red and white stripes and the stares in the corner. It symbolizes cooperation and liberty under one nation. It shows that we don’t have to be perfect. Because imperfection is beauty. And most importantly, we are one."
Victoria K., a 6th grader from Temecula, California, said this about her submission: "The flag that I made represents unity, diversity, and cohesion. It shows that we are all one nation under God and that we are all equal — no matter what our outside looks like. And even though we are all different in our own way, the same color of blood runs through our veins. It shows the strength that people have from different backgrounds and races. But it also shows that we are in this together. Not just as a nation, but as a community. The hands represent different races from all over the world that live in America. Because in America, we are not just one race. We just live in America and have that nationality. My flag shows how far we have come in unity and acceptance. It shows we are not just one boring color. Each and every race, nationality, and skin color is beautiful. My flag represents freedom and still includes the red and white stripes and the stares in the corner. It symbolizes cooperation and liberty under one nation. It shows that we don’t have to be perfect. Because imperfection is beauty. And most importantly, we are one." Victoria K. USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Nearly 850 students across the country participated in USA TODAY's "Fly Your Flag" civics contest, submitting flag designs that sought to capture what America means to them and what they hope the country can become.

Their designs pulled on a variety of values the students felt represent their country, or should. Some stuck with the original colors of red, white and blue, while others created flags with an entirely new concept.

The contest, which launched in April ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States, was organized in partnership with SUNN, a non-partisan organization publishing student journalism.

With three different categories, judges from across the USA TODAY Network ranked each submission in order to narrow down the contest to just 30 finalists. Those picks then went to a special panel of judges: actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, artist Kadir Nelson, teacher-influencer Sharon McMahon and Olympian Jasmine Jones.

Winners in three categories were announced on Wednesday, July 1.

First place winners will receive $1,000, followed by $750 for second place winners and $500 for third place. Dialogue Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt University donated the prize money.

Winner of 5th-8th grade competition

Victoria K., a sixth grader at the Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac School in California, was awarded first place for her flag design, which she said "represents unity, diversity and cohesion."

"It shows the strength that people have from different backgrounds and races," she continued, adding that "it also shows that we are in this together."

There was a tie between two eighth graders for second place in this category: Vivien W. of New York, and Dillan D. of Saline Middle School in Michigan.

Third place was also a tie between Ivanka L. of New York and Elisabeth Y., an eighth grader at Islander Middle School in Washington.

Winner of high school competition

First place in the high school competition went to Soeun K., a senior at Troy High School in Michigan. His flag design included the colors red, white and blue, alongside the stars and stripes represented in the current United States flag but also featured a tree in the middle of the design.

"Similar to colors explaining why America's identity is liberty and freedom, liberty tree, a famous elm tree in Boston is another significant symbolism of liberty," Soeun wrote about the addition. "Liberty tree once was a meeting place of The Sons of Liberty to protest against British in 1765, where ideas of freedom became stronger. As American colonists gathered around the elm tree, the nation's idea of freedom and liberty grew like a tree."

Second place winners were Ava D., a sophomore at Mallard Creek Highschool in North Carolina, and Abigail T., a junior at Woodland High School in Washington.

Third place was also a tie between Lauren G., a sophomore at the Menlo School in California, and Bernadinio S., a senior at Charette High School in Rhode Island.

Winner of high school AI competition

Contest organizers added an AI category, with all finalists representing a single high school in Troy, Michigan. Judges selected only a first place winner in this category.

Henry W., a junior, won the judges over with his redesign of the American flag, which kept the original colors but used one large star rather than 50 to represent unity, he wrote. Henry used artificial intelligence to create interwoven stripes, further representing the unity of the country.

Krista Johnson covers education and children for The Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky. Have story ideas or questions? Contact her at kjohnson3@gannett.com and subscribe to her newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: USA TODAY announces winners of 'Fly Your Flag' student civics contest

Reporting by Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal / Louisville Courier Journal

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Soeun K. is a 12th grader from Troy, Michigan. "One of the great bedrocks of America’s identity is liberty and freedom. These foundational ideas are explained through colors of red, white and blue representations in The Stars and Stripes: red with hardiness and valor, white with purity and innocence, and blue with perseverance and justice. Hardiness and valor gave motives of revolutionary war, purity, and innocence desired puritans to settle in new nation breaking away from monarchy, and perseverance and justice powered overall survival of the new nation. Therefore, in my newly designed flag of United States, I kept three colors of The Star and Stripes as it is greatly symbolizing nation’s motifs. Similar to colors explaining why America’s identity is liberty and freedom, liberty tree, a famous elm tree in Boston is another significant symbolism of liberty. Liberty tree once was a meeting place of The Sons of Liberty to protest against British in 1765, where ideas of freedom became stronger. As American colonists gathered around the elm tree, the nation’s idea of freedom and liberty grew like a tree. In my newly designed flag, liberty tree is strongly rooted in the center emphasizing the bedrocks of America. And in the root, the 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies located. Starting with the 13 colonies, strongly rooted in the new land, other 37 colonies (37 stars on the tree) bloomed along with the foundational ideas of 13 colonies. To summarize, 13 stars rooted in liberty tree represent starting idea of 13 colonies finding new land seeking for freedom. And as the nation grew and Americans successfully resisted against British under the protection of the liberty tree, the 50 states formed, shaping America today."
Soeun K. is a 12th grader from Troy, Michigan. "One of the great bedrocks of America’s identity is liberty and freedom. These foundational ideas are explained through colors of red, white and blue representations in The Stars and Stripes: red with hardiness and valor, white with purity and innocence, and blue with perseverance and justice. Hardiness and valor gave motives of revolutionary war, purity, and innocence desired puritans to settle in new nation breaking away from monarchy, and perseverance and justice powered overall survival of the new nation. Therefore, in my newly designed flag of United States, I kept three colors of The Star and Stripes as it is greatly symbolizing nation’s motifs. Similar to colors explaining why America’s identity is liberty and freedom, liberty tree, a famous elm tree in Boston is another significant symbolism of liberty. Liberty tree once was a meeting place of The Sons of Liberty to protest against British in 1765, where ideas of freedom became stronger. As American colonists gathered around the elm tree, the nation’s idea of freedom and liberty grew like a tree. In my newly designed flag, liberty tree is strongly rooted in the center emphasizing the bedrocks of America. And in the root, the 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies located. Starting with the 13 colonies, strongly rooted in the new land, other 37 colonies (37 stars on the tree) bloomed along with the foundational ideas of 13 colonies. To summarize, 13 stars rooted in liberty tree represent starting idea of 13 colonies finding new land seeking for freedom. And as the nation grew and Americans successfully resisted against British under the protection of the liberty tree, the 50 states formed, shaping America today." Soeun K. USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Henry W., an 11th grader from Troy, Michigan, redesigned the American flag to symbolize unity, shared responsibility and the ongoing pursuit of the American Dream. The design retains the traditional red, white and blue, replaces the 50 stars with a single star to represent the nation as one, and uses interwoven stripes to reflect both the country's diversity and the struggles people have faced.
Henry W., an 11th grader from Troy, Michigan, redesigned the American flag to symbolize unity, shared responsibility and the ongoing pursuit of the American Dream. The design retains the traditional red, white and blue, replaces the 50 stars with a single star to represent the nation as one, and uses interwoven stripes to reflect both the country's diversity and the struggles people have faced. Henry W. USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 11:29 AM.

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