The Illinois Flag Commission will begin accepting submissions for a new state flag design next week, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Wednesday.

The commission was created last year after Senate Bill 1818 was signed into law.

The goal of the bill was to develop new state flag designs to determine if one of them should replace the current state flag. The current flag was adopted in 1969.

The commission will accept design ideas for consideration from the public, online or via mail, until Oct. 18. They plan on working with schools and libraries to encourage more residents to take part.

The commission will select 10 designs and will host an online survey for residents to vote on their favorites or to keep the current flag.

Voting will begin Jan. 1 and last around two months.

Here are some guidelines for submissions, according to the secretary of state’s office.

• Design elements can include natural features of the state, history and culture of the state.
• No limit on flag shape or ratio but designs may be edited by the commission.
• No limit on colors but recommended less than three colors for clarity of design.
• Participants can visit www.ilsos.gov and upload online or submit their design via mail addressed to Illinois Flag Commission, Howlett Building, Room 476, 501 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62756
• Participants are required to provide their first and last name, address, email address and phone number. They are also required to explain their relationship to Illinois and provide a description of their flag entry (each category limited to 500 characters). 
• To upload an image, the file will need to be 5 MB or less and in PNG, GIF, or JPG format.
• There should be no watermarks or frames around the image.
• Designs cannot be copied from other designs or use existing logos or copyrighted materials; however, the design can include elements or reproductions of the State Seal or any prior Illinois State flag.
• Designs cannot be AI generated.
• Submissions are limited to three per person.
• Submissions from outside the United States, i.e. military bases, need to be made by regular mail.

After public feedback, the commission will report its findings to the Illinois General Assembly, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag or retain the current flag design.