Some flag facts about the flag of Alaska :
- Designed by Benny Benson of Seward, who was 13 when his design won in a 1927 contest
- The 8 stars represent the Big Dipper and the North Star
- The Big Dipper is a group of stars in the constellation Ursa Major, which symbolizes a bear
- The bear is also indigenous to Alaska
- The description that Benny Benson submitted with his design read: “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, and Alaskan flower. The North Star is of the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear, symbolizing strength.”
- The flag was officially adopted on July 9, 1927
- Ranked 5th in design quality out of 72 North American flags in a 2001 NAVA survey