MARSHALL — This week, submissions opened for Minnesotans to suggest new designs for a state flag and seal. Already, the ideas are pouring in, Anita Gaul said.

“They seem to be coming in at a rapid pace,” said Gaul, a Marshall resident and the vice-chair of the State Emblems Redesign Commission. The submission period opened Monday, and by Tuesday morning, the Redesign Commission had received around 50 submissions, she said.

Public submissions for state flag and seal designs are being accepted through Oct. 30. Gaul said submitting a design was a chance for Minnesotans to be part of state history.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission was established in the 2023 legislative session, with the task of developing a new Minnesota flag and state seal. It’s a change that has been “decades in the making,” Gaul said.

Gaul said the current flag and seal have received criticism since the 1960s, partly because the design had imagery offensive to Indigenous people. The Minnesota state seal depicts a settler plowing in the foreground, while a Native American on horseback rides away into the distance. It looks like the settler is driving the Indigenous person away, Gaul said.

“This isn’t a flag that unites us,” Gaul said.

Some critics have also said the current Minnesota flag, which features the state seal on a blue background, doesn’t follow the principles of good flag design. For example, Gaul said, the seal design is cluttered, and has a lot of lettering and numbers.

“It’s high time for a redesign,” she said.

As part of the Redesign Commission, Gaul said she wanted to help make sure rural Minnesotans had a voice on the new flag and seal designs. “I’m honored to be part of this historic process,” she said.

Public submissions for the state flag and seal design are being accepted on the State Emblems Redesign Commission website, www.mnhs.org/serc, or by U.S. mail. People submitting designs must be 18 or older, or have their submissions entered by a parent or legal guardian. Each eligible person can submit up to three designs each for the state flag and seal.

All entries must be original, and follow guidelines that are outlined on the Redesign Commission’s website. For example, Gaul said, the design can’t use symbols or images that represent only a single person or community.

Starting in November, the State Emblems Redesign Commission will have the task of narrowing down the submissions to a workable number, Gaul said. A total of five submissions each for the new flag and state seal will be selected for final consideration.