This flag was officially adopted as the state flag in 1959. The story of the Alaskan Flag began in 1927 when a 13 year old Alaskan Native, Benny Benson, a seventh grade student from the Jesse Lee Mission Home in Seward, won the Alaska Flag Contest. Over 140 designs were submitted but Benny's simple design became the favorite. He noted that the blue field was for the Alaska sky and for the Alaskan flower, the forget-me-not. The Dipper was for the Great Bear that symbolized strength. The official description designates the seven gold stars from the Ursa Major Constellation (the Big Dipper) and the eighth star as the North Star, representing Alaska as the most northern state of the Union.
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