JANUARY 1, 2026 — The Museum of Boulder has initiated a design competition inviting residents to create an unofficial flag for the city, according to a press release by the Museum.
Though not affiliated with the municipal government and thus unable to produce an officially adopted banner, the project is being led by museum executive director Christopher Taylor and director of education Emily Zinn.
Taylor, who observed the widespread integration of Chicago’s flag into that city’s daily life before moving to Boulder, expressed hope the winning design could become “a thing of pride” and a recognizable symbol ahead of the Sundance Film Festival’s planned move to Boulder in 2027, he told Boulder Reporting Lab.
The initiative, which now has a submission deadline of April 24, is deliberately timed to coincide with major anniversaries, including the 150th year of Colorado’s statehood.
Submissions will be judged by a panel that includes local designers, the city’s deputy manager, and a NAVA representative, with the winning designer set to receive a $500 prize. The design will be announced on May 11 and unveiled over Memorial Day weekend at the BOLDERBoulder event.
Boulder currently lacks an official flag, though the idea has occasionally been raised by local officials.
The city does, however, have an unofficial flag dating back to a community contest.
In 1987, a flag contest for the city of Boulder, Colorado, was organized by resident Ron Campbell, which resulted in a design featuring three horizontal stripes, green, white, and green, with an image of the Flatirons enclosed in a circle.
Although the Daily Camera article published on November 18, 1987, about the contest hailed the winner as anonymous, Frank Griggs later claimed to have submitted the design. Griggs, whose entry was successful against competitors largely composed of students, admitted he chose to submit his design anonymously due to embarrassment, stating, “My competition was grade-school kids… I thought I could beat them,” he told the Daily Camera.
