Mburgh Village Holding Flag Design Contest

MIDDLEBURGH - The Village of Middleburgh Board of Trustees, with Middleburgh Central School District Social Studies teachers Jason Dannible and Katelynn Schuttig, are holding a contest for Middleburgh students to draw an official flag for the Village of Middleburgh.

The contest runs through April 19 and is open to all students in Middleburgh, whether from MCS or home-schooled. Two winners will be selected, the "official flag" winner and the "people's choice" winner. Each will get a monetary prize.

"Our intention with this project is to: give students an opportunity to interact with the Village and be part of our community through this process, create a unique symbol for the Village, and have a fun, community-oriented project for all of Middleburgh," Mayor Tim Knight announced Monday night.

Flag design rules include: adhere to the North American Vexillological Association’s five principles of good flag design:

* Keep It Simple – the proposed flag should be so simple that anyone can draw it from memory

* Use Meaningful Symbolism – the proposed flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes.

* Use two or three basic colors – limit the number of colors on the proposed flag to three which contrast well and come from the standard color set. Green and white are the traditional colors associated with Middleburgh, but the village and school encourage experimentation

* No Lettering / Logos – never use writing of any kind or an organization’s logo.

* Be Distinctive / Be Related – avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections.

Students may submit either digital files (.jpeg or .png are preferred file formats) or printed copies to either Mr. Dannible and Ms. Schuttig or Mayor Knight. The contest will be open for submissions through Friday, April 19. All students – MCS or homeschooled – are eligible to participate.

Once the village board has received the proposed flag submissions, the Mayor and trustees will select their choice for the official Village of Middleburgh flag. Additionally, they will also have a People’s Choice Flag of the remaining proposals – a poll will be placed on the Village of Middleburgh website for this purpose.

The Village Board will be donating $150 from their salaries towards two awards for this contest: $100 for the “official flag” winner and $50 for the “people’s choice” winner. They will also order some flags to be created for the village to fly/display during official events. There will be no taxpayer expense.

Trustee Amanda Fernandez noted that the winner could come from any grade or age.

"If it's good, it's good," she noted.

The contest may be held yearly or every two years, officials noted.

Digital copies may be emailed either to Mr. Dannible (jason.dannible@mcsdny.org), Ms. Schuttig (katelynne.schuttig@mcsdny.org), or Mayor Knight (timothycknight93@gmail.com). Printed copies may be mailed to Village of Middleburgh, Attn: Mayor Knight, P.O. Box 789, Middleburgh, N.Y., 12122.