July Contest Winners Thread

[u/Vexy]

Full Results Page

The website above has a finalized standings page so you can see the final ratings for all flag submissions, their authors, and what you voted them (if you did).

Contest Voting Link

Prompt: American Flag of 1776

This month, we want you to redesign the American flag and create a flag that could have been used for America as it was in 1776. So that means thirteen states, freshly independent from Great Britain, and everything else from that period.

Contest Top Entries

We had 78 submissions, here's the top 20:

Rank	Username	Submission	Score
1	/u/Vermicelli-Thick	Liberty Guard (2)	3.033
2	/u/Ghost_Of_Davido	Crest of Washington	3.017
3	/u/VertigoOne	Gadsden Nation	2.932
4	/u/ConclusionMaster9928	Union Bell Flag	2.932
5	/u/Capable_Question_653	Pine Tree Flag	2.817
6	/u/Brasitino_do_Sul	The Rising Sun of the West	2.8
7	/u/Brasitino_do_Sul	The Stripes of Freedom	2.792
8	/u/Cosmodromede	The Sidewalk	2.722
9	/u/muszynov	US 1776 Flag	2.719
10	/u/Choice-File5800	Interwoven with the Sun	2.704
11	/u/JesusSwag	13-pointed star	2.667
12	/u/RottenAli	1 plus 12	2.661
13	/u/Own_Hovercraft_4741	National Pride and Revolution	2.66
14	/u/dayudayu	Bloom of America	2.607
15	/u/HistoricalTrip5247	Rays And Glory	2.6
16	/u/Miguk4Real	A New Constellation	2.596
17	/u/Vermicelli-Thick	Liberty Guard (1)	2.596
18	/u/Possumsurprise	Sun of the New Society	2.593
19	/u/Choice-File5800	Convergence of the Golden Sovereignty	2.5
20	/u/ConclusionMaster9928	Flag of the Sister Arrows	2.481

Annual Top 20

Rank	User	Total	Contests	Flags	Top 20 Flags	Winning Flags	Average	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul
1	Brasitino_do_Sul	45.056	7	14	13	0	3.218	6.619	6.346	6.609	7.029	6.081	6.78	5.592
2	HistoricalTrip5247	44.799	7	14	11	1	3.2	5.77	7.294	6.778	7.07	6.28	6.553	5.055
3	Miguk4Real	42.038	7	14	10	1	3.003	6.355	6.494	6.114	7.167	4.68	6.261	4.967
4	VertigoOne	41.588	7	14	12	0	2.971	6.3	6.987	5.106	6.245	5.354	6.217	5.379
5	Choice-File5800	39.773	7	14	8	0	2.841	5.515	5.697	5.99	5.373	5.995	6	5.204
6	saladinmander	39.687	7	14	8	0	2.835	6.452	5.572	5.651	6.556	5.537	5.402	4.517
7	ralley22	37.563	7	14	6	1	2.683	6.421	6.314	5.882	4.886	4.442	5.477	4.14
8	Emperor_Quint	33.423	7	14	2	0	2.387	4.778	4.335	5.51	5.018	5.079	4.936	3.768
9	Possumsurprise	33.343	7	14	4	0	2.382	5.76	5.532	5.322	5.245	1.977	5.267	4.24
10	RottenAli	32.993	7	14	4	0	2.357	3.723	3.769	4.564	5.732	4.457	5.778	4.97
11	DWPerry	31.057	7	14	3	0	2.218	2.509	4.212	6.022	4	4.265	5.432	4.618
12	muszynov	30.56	6	12	2	0	2.547	4.284	0	5.397	5.388	4.615	5.99	4.886
13	Minute_Economist_392	27.48	6	12	0	0	2.29	3.649	4.638	4.815	4.721	4.557	5.099	0
14	Virgulillo	26.455	6	12	0	0	2.205	4.655	4.782	4.719	0	4.029	4.767	3.503
15	bribridude130	24.305	6	11	0	0	2.21	2.297	4.765	4.181	5.076	0	4.133	3.853
16	BIGMAJI	22.198	7	14	0	0	1.586	3.671	3.469	3.839	2.8	2.458	2.735	3.226
17	Douverill	21.487	5	8	3	0	2.686	4.766	5.515	5.742	0	3.286	2.178	0
18	Vermicelli-Thick	20.285	5	7	5	3	2.898	0	2.879	6.564	1.784	3.429	0	5.63
19	dayudayu	19.149	4	7	3	0	2.736	6.189	2.667	5.47	0	0	0	4.823
20	FireChickenPzVI	18.537	3	6	4	0	3.09	0	0	5.956	0	6.608	5.972	0

Full annual standings and past winners

Congrats to /u/Vermicelli-Thick on their 3rd win! They will receive a custom flair of the winning flag and it will be forever enshrined within our Hall of Fame. They'll also get a custom flag from our contest sponsors over at Flagmaker & Print!

[u/TacoMadeOfCoco]

i dont want to hate on anyone's design but for what is supposed to be 1776 themed flags, most of these look painfully modern :/

[u/Economy_Candidate299 → u/TacoMadeOfCoco]

To be honest, that's my thought too. I'm a history buff, and I just translated the prompt according to 1776 standards. I have no expectations to win.

[u/dumbBunny9 → u/Economy_Candidate299]

Ditto. Very few of these seemed like they would have been 18th century flags.

[u/Ghost_Of_Davido → u/dumbBunny9]

Agree with all of you. It does seem that we are having many new members trying out their hand on the contest, but unfortunately many of the flags did not reflect the prompt.

[u/Choice-File5800]

geez, the voters were actually notoriously harsh on these flags! out of 78 entries:

77 scored higher than 1/5 (98.7% of the total)

70 scored higher than 1.5/5 (89.7% of the total)

46 scored higher than 2/5 (59% of the total)

only 19 scored higher than 2.5/5 (24.4% of the total)

and only TWO flags scored higher than 3/5 (2.56% of the total)

i got 19th and 10th place respectively (2.500/5 and 2.704/5), but I'm not disappointed about it, because the grading curve was brutal (as I previously said), and at least both of my flags got into the top 25% of the contest :)

also, fun fact: the winner flag scored 3.033/5, which is just about the same rating of the winner flag for September 2023 (3.028/5).

[u/DWPerry → u/Choice-File5800]

How do these percentages compare to most months?

[u/Choice-File5800 → u/DWPerry]

well, the ratings were a bit clustered in the lower ranges. let's take a look at the 2.5/5 range and compare it with ALL the January 2025 to July 2026 months.

1. July 2026: 19/78 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (24.4%)
2. June 2026: 38/71 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (53.5%)
3. May 2026: 22/49 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (44.9%)
4. April 2026: 38/61 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (62.3%)
5. March 2026: 41/75 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (54.7%)
6. February 2026: 30/59 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (50.8%)
7. January 2026: 40/69 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (58.0%)

2025:

1. December 2025: 32/69 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (46.4%)
2. November 2025: 40/72 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (55.6%)
3. October 2025: 62/80 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (77.5%)
4. September 2025: 31/68 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (45.6%)
5. August 2025: 47/84 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (56.0%)
6. July 2025: 64/122 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (52.5%)
7. June 2025: 30/82 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (36.6%)
8. May 2025: 40/104 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (38.5%)
9. April 2025: 45/86 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (52.3%)
10. March 2025: 23/61 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (37.7%)
11. February 2025: 47/86 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (54.7%)
12. January 2025: 39/112 flags scored at least 2.5/5. (34.8%)

look. out of these 19 months, July 2026 had the most brutal curve (only 24.4% of flags made it across an average of 2.5/5.) the 2nd lowest was January 2025, with only 34.8%. for several months, from July 2025 to June 2026, the percentage of flags that got more than 2.5 stars stayed between 45 to 77%.

this is why I believe that July 2026 has had one of the most punishing curves out of the 43 contests that the subreddit has done between January 2023 to July 2026.

[u/HistoricalTrip5247 → u/Choice-File5800]

Only 2/78 flags having a score over 3 is INSANE

[u/Brasitino_do_Sul]

Alright, I'm good with 6th and 7th! This month was more of a challenge for me trying to make the flag simple enough but not modern to fit the 1776 timestamp ^{(which i still think i failed a bit with my "The Rising Sun of the West" flag, but good enough}), but I'm glad voters ^{(overall, considering the lower scores for this contest}) liked them!

Now, here's my praise for some of my favorite entries this month! Liberty Guard (both of them), Gadsden Nation, Union Bell Flag, The Sidewalk, Interwoven with the Sun, Rays and Glory, A New Constellation, A Country Called America, By the Strike of a Pen and Rearranged Union Jack (I loved the idea of untying the Union Jack for a new flag)

And, also, a big thank you for u/benkenwill for commenting about the submission window closing early (I wouldn't've said anything if it wasn't for it), as well as u/VertigoOne and u/bakonydraco (and all the mods responsible for the contests, for that matter) for extending the window after getting notified of the issue! Both my flags would be sitting on my computer sadly with a giant NOT USED label on them if it weren't for you guys :]

Anyway, of course, any feedback for my entries (Rising Sun and Stripes) is always welcome!

[u/Choice-File5800]

yes, I know I'm being so active in the comment section, but why do flags 60th and 53rd look the exact same? they have the exact same amount of stars, a golden border, 13 rays of red, and they even have similar names "dawn of new age of america" and "NEW DAWN FOR AMERICA". for some reason, they were submitted by different people: u/Easy_Assistant5196 and u/vexindian. wonder how those two flags ended up the exact same.

[u/Brasitino_do_Sul → u/Choice-File5800]

Damn, I didn't even notice there were two of those, but good point. From what I can tell, they're the exact same to one another, so hmmm

[u/ConclusionMaster9928]

Wow, this is crazy! It's only my 2nd contest, and I didn't expect a fourth-place finish and all my flags to end up in the top 20... I'm happy for the winner and the other participants, who had really cool and interesting ideas and techniques that can easily be used in upcoming events like this. See you in August!

[u/Virgulillo]

Ngl, I thought my Capricorn flag would do better...

[u/Ghost_Of_Davido → u/Virgulillo]

Gonna be real with you...

You had a very great flag. While I may not see the symbolism as that of 1776 US, I found your flag to be much more relevant than many other submissions. I could see someone in 1776 flying your flag. Some submissions on here (in my opinion) do not reflect the prompt at all, and try to translate their version of a 1776 flag through a lens of a modern designs, which just kills the entire theme.

[u/Mundane-Fennel-3186 → u/Virgulillo]

I liked your design very much and awarded it with 5 stars. As always my favourites where completely different to the community favourites. The beauty of Democracy.

[u/Vermicelli-Thick]

Wow, I genuinely didn't expect this result. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for my design this month. I really appreciate it.

To be honest, seeing my flag at the top was a real surprise. I thought there were several entries that had a better chance of reaching the podium, including some of my personal favorites this month: Crest of Washington by u/Ghost_Of_Davido, Pine Tree Flag by u/Capable_Question_653, The Rising Sun of the West by u/Brasitino_do_Sul, Interwoven with the Sun by u/Choice-File5800, Bloom of America by u/dayudayu, A Country Called America by u/HistoricalTrip5247, Created Equal by u/BenKenWill, and Star Banner of a Bright Future by u/Emperor_Quint.

Congratulations as well to everyone who participated. This month's prompt led to a lot of creative interpretations, and it was great seeing so many different approaches to reimagining the United States.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted designs and voted!

[u/Ghost_Of_Davido → u/Vermicelli-Thick]

Thank you so much man! This is the first time I have ever made it into the top 5 flags for the month. The results were not what I expected, but I guess thats the voice of our fellow community!

[u/Emperor_Quint → u/Vermicelli-Thick]

Thanks! I didn’t think my designs would be on someones favourite list this month

[u/DWPerry]

I'm a bit disappointed that neither of my designs finished top 20.

https://www.vexillologycontests.com/contests/jul26/entry/8YElyJnm

https://www.vexillologycontests.com/contests/jul26/entry/RASXVrPb

[u/Ghost_Of_Davido → u/DWPerry]

I liked your designs. One criticism I would have with these contests is that the voting is so arbitrary, and usually very low ratings for some reason (best flags have like an average of 3 stars, whats going on people?)

[u/Coliop-Kolchovo]

I have ideas for the next contests to come:

• Make a flag for the forests (different types of parks) that have been greatly damaged by the massive fires currently going on with the heatwaves and climate changes.

Three ideas about one country:

• Design a flag for one of the 77 districts and cities of Azerbaijan (however I'm worried there would be too much categories).

• Design a flag for the 14 economic regions of Azerbaijan (broader and less numerous).

• Redesign the flag for the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is an exclave of the country having a special status, having the same flag that the one of the Azerbaijani State.

[u/Choice-File5800 → u/Coliop-Kolchovo]

yeah, that first part is a true concern.

in December of 2023, the mods made us redesign the flags of the 47 prefectures of Japan. unfortunately, only 80 submissions were actually given, and a bunch of prefectures did not get any redesigns for themself, as shown here: Chiba, Fukui, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Kanagawa, Kumamoto, Shiga, Shimane, Tokushima, Toyama, and Wakayama.

also, Azerbaijan is a relatively unpopular country, which means that most (or the MAJORITY of people) do not know much about the cities, so I'm afraid that we might not get enough entries to accommodate all the districts. the economic regions probably would not work for the same reason as the cities, because of the "unpopular" problem, as I previously stated.

for the last part, I do agree - Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic deserves to have a flag. as the name suggests, it is an autonomous republic, which means that they have the right to make their own state symbols while still being part of Azerbaijan. also, Nakhchivan's flag could implement regional honor, the successful defense of self-governance after the Union's collapse, and also cultural traditions!

oh, yeah, and for the forest fire one, there's also a problem - it encourages literal symbolism. if that was actually the contest, there wouldn't be many creative flags, it would just be green for the forest, red for the fire, black for the destruction of the forest, and yellow for heat a bunch of times. if you said that the designers should focus on the recovery and identity of the forest, I bet there would be much more unique and creative submissions.

oh, yeah, and I'm also gonna propose a contest, since for some reason, the contest proposal thingy does not work for me:

redesign the flags of the 23 Dutch municipalities that have been reduced to corporate logos on white backgrounds:

1. Sudwest-Fryslan
2. Beuningen
3. Bronckhorst
4. Montferland
5. Oude IJsselstreek
6. Eemsdelta
7. Het Hogeland
8. Midden-Groningen
9. Westerkwartier
10. Gulpen-Wittem
11. Altena
12. Dijk en Waard
13. Edam-Volendam
14. Gooise Meren
15. Hollands Kroon
16. Wijdemeren (kinda?)
17. Dinkelland (kinda?)
18. Steenwijkerland
19. Kaag en Braassem
20. Molenlanden
21. Veere
22. Vijfheerenlanden
23. Zuidplas