This story will be updated.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The state flag that Mainers will decide on this November generally follows the one that flew from 1901 to 1909, featuring a semi-photorealistic pine tree at the center of a buff background alongside a blue star.
That design — from designer and architect Adam Lemire of Gardiner — was announced by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday as the winner of a contest drawing more than 400 submissions from 42 states and a few countries.
For their designs to be considered, he and other entrants had to follow tight rules mostly adhering to the 1901 design under a law passed by the Legislature in a 2023 authorizing this year’s referendum on switching the flag. Bellows chose the winner alongside an advisory panel mostly made up of current and former lawmakers.
The current flag, with the state seal featuring a farmer, seaman, moose and pine tree on a blue background, has long been criticized by those who say it is indistinguishable from other state flags. Over the past decade, the simpler design has proliferated on flags designed by the Maine Flag Co. as well as on other branded material.
That popular design — which has a stylized green pine tree — finished second in the contest. The 1901 flag had a photorealistic pine tree with roots snaking out from the trunk. The winning design largely follows that, although it looks slightly different.
Lemire designed it with 16 branches representing the number of counties here. At a news conference alongside Bellows in Augusta, he said it was based on an eastern white pine tree that he often sees on walks with his 3-year-old son at Viles Arboretum in the capital city.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that would have delayed the vote until, but Gov. Janet Mills refused to act on it alongside 34 other measures passed late in the session.
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers got the referendum on this year’s ballot, although many legislative Republicans protested the change by saying the state seal reflects Maine’s heritage. However, Rep. Caleb Ness, R-Fryeburg, who opposed switching the flag, was on the panel convened by Bellows and backed the final design.
“The symbols of our state, our flags, unite us as people,” Bellows, a Democrat, told reporters.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that would have delayed the vote until 2026 at the urging of Bellows, but Gov. Janet Mills refused to act on it alongside 34 other measures passed late in the session. That cleared the vote for this November during the high-turnout presidential session.
