The new state flag design that Mainers will vote on in November

By Michael Shepherd and Billy Kobin, Bangor Daily News Staff

AUGUSTA — The state flag design that Mainers will decide on this November is similar to the one that flew from 1901-09, featuring a mostly photorealistic pine tree at the center of a buff background alongside a blue star.

That design — from designer and architect Adam Lemire of Gardiner — was announced by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday, Aug. 5 as the winner of a contest drawing more than 400 submissions from 42 states and a few countries. 

For their designs to be considered, he and other entrants had to follow tight rules mostly adhering to the 1901 design under a law passed in 2023 authorizing this year’s referendum on switching the flag. After her office narrowed down the entries to 10 finalists, Bellows chose the winner with the help of an advisory panel mostly made up of current and former lawmakers.

The current flag, with the state seal featuring a farmer, seaman, moose and pine tree on a blue background, has long been criticized by those who say it is indistinguishable from other state flags. Over the past decade, the simpler design has proliferated on flags designed by the Maine Flag Co. as well as on other branded material.

That popular design — which has a stylized green pine tree — finished second in the contest. The 1901 flag had a photorealistic pine tree with roots snaking out from the trunk. The new one largely follows that, although it looks slightly different. 

Lemire designed the tree with 16 branches representing the number of counties here. At a news conference alongside Bellows in Augusta, he said it was based on an eastern white pine tree that he often sees on walks with his 3-year-old son at Viles Arboretum in the capital city.

Lemire was under time pressure to finish his design by July 19, submitting it at a hospital while his wife was going into labor before she eventually gave birth to their second child. Lemire added he did not follow the State House debates over the flag that grew testy at times.

“I love flag design, but no, I didn’t follow the politics,” Lemire said.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers got the referendum on this year’s ballot, although many legislative Republicans protested the change by saying the state seal reflects Maine’s heritage. However, Rep. Caleb Ness, R-Fryeburg, who opposed switching the flag, was on the panel convened by Bellows and backed the final design.

“The symbols of our state, our flags, unite us as people,” Bellows, a Democrat, told reporters.

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that would have delayed the vote until 2026 at the urging of Bellows, but Gov. Janet Mills refused to act on it alongside 34 other measures passed late in the session. That cleared the vote for this November during the high-turnout presidential session.

The flag referendum will appear as Question 5 alongside other initiatives on the November ballot. It will not feature a picture of the design, but Bellows said the image will show up in a voter guide her office publishes ahead of the election.