Weekly Flag Challenge: New Challenges & Previous Winners

Flag Challenge 223: Flagworld

"We spared no expense ! Boy, do we have a vacation for you !"


Create a corporate flag for a Michael Crighton style futuristic theme park, in one of the three possible variations:
a.) a historically inspired theme park, focusing on a particular historical period and populated by life-like robots
b.) a theme park populated by prehistoric fauna brought back to life via DNA recovery and genetic engineering
c) a theme park populated by collected or captured alien fauna and flora

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 22:00 GMT 7th May
 
Congratulations to @Petike!
View attachment 545814

EastWar

Due to the tightening robotics legislation of many countries worldwide, by the early 21st century, RUR Corp finds itself in a position of weakness and growing public scrutiny. Newly uncovered secret archives, hinting there was a possibility of a robot revolt early in the company's history, or much later records of strange events at the company (referred to cryptically as the "1983 Incident" and "1994 Emergency"), have fueled a growing distrust for the traditional image of Rossum's Universal Robots.

Unable to seek enough willing investors in traditional fields, the new management established in RUR during the alternate 1990s has focused on shedding the old image of the company and making strides into the entertainment industry. The apex of these efforts has been the creation of a special travel and resorts subsidiary. The idea ? Create life-like, simulationist theme parks, populated by animal and human RURs, and entice hard-paying, eager visitors with a vacation unlike any other.

The countries of the Visegrad Union were targeted for this excrutiatingly ambitious entertainment venture due to tax break leniency of their then governments, a policy already criticised by many. A particular territory was chosen and lent to the Corporation by the VU for several decades, with three theme parks – or resorts – beginning construction soon afterward. This was a move that attracted plenty of criticism from many VU citizens. Coupled with later protests and criticism by local branches of robot-rights organisations, citing the history of RUR and its suspicious past lobbying and activities, the birth of the resorts would be anything but easy. However, the VU governments and RUR Corp were adamant that all safety precautions are being taken to ensure the safety and transparency of the resorts. Regardless of the heated politics surrounding the project, the three resorts were eventually completed.


EastWar, HussiteWar and With Fire and Sword await any and all visitors who can afford it.


Premiering in the early 2000s, EastWar is a science fiction detective thriller TV series produced in the Visegrad Union. A direct spiritual sequel to Karel Čapek's 1920 landmark science fiction play, R. U. R., the series is set in an alternate present, where a surviving Rossum's Universal Robots corporation has turned its focus towards the entertainment industry. Creating three different historical theme park resorts, populated by life-like robot humans and animals, the RUR corporation intends to rebrand its image in the public eye, despite criticisms of building expensive spectacles often revolving around combat and violence, rather than just adventure and intrigue. While on a stay at the EastWar resort with his girlfriend, a young investigative journalist comes across a bizarre death of a guest. Though murder is ruled out, particularly by the nervous park administration, the journalist can't leave well enough alone. Soon, the young couple are embroiled in far-reaching events that take them on a perilous adventure through all three resorts, as part of their search for the chilling truth...

The fictional EastWar resort of the series, one of three, is rooted in the highly popular central European genre of Easterns. Somewhat inspired by American Westerns and based on the tumultous events of WWI in Austria-Hungary and eastern Europe and the subsequent Disunion Wars of the early 1920s, the Eastern genre enjoyed decades of success, starting with its first great media boom after the second world war. After a renaissance of the genre led by new creators in the 1960s and 1970s, the genre had also garnered deeper critical appreciation, outside of mainstream success. By the mid-to-late 1990s, science fiction Easterns had gained in popularity as a concept, with the likes of Visegrad Space Guard 2215: Terra Nova, a successful and inventive spinoff of the long-running VSG space opera franchise. Sensing the time was ripe to introduce a brand new science fiction property in the same broad subgenre, EastWar was co-created and written by Křyštof Čapek, Czech script writer and great-grand-nephew of Karel Čapek, and Martin Križanovský, respected Slovak speculative fiction writer. Pitched to one of VU private networks that eventually greenlit the unusual concept, the series became a surprise TV hit of the 2000s.

----

All set in my Sparrow Avengers ATL setting. If Westworld was set in a Russian Civil War or warlord China style setting, but in central and eastern Europe, and with neo-Western stylistic elements. Think "Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah teaming up to do a WWI eastern front film" and there you go. ;) Easterns are an actual OTL genre, though a lot more niche than they are in my ATL, where they've become a common literary, film and TV genre, especially in the Visegrad Union and some neighbouring east European states.
 
Weekly Flag Challenge 224: Nunarput og Førroyar

Nunarput = "Our Country" (Greenland) in Greenlandic
og = "and" in Danish
Førroyar = "Sheep Isles" (Faroe Islands) in Faroese

Create a national flag or overseas territory flag for Greenland or the Faroe Islands.

Maybe Greenland or the Faroe Islands have gone completely independent from Denmark, or whichever country held them previously. Or maybe they are overseas territories with plenty of autonomy, as in our timeline. Or maybe overseas territories where their limited autonomy continued, for better or worse. The sky's the limit, use your imagination well and create something suitably alternate, with a believable backstory. As already hinted at, they don't have to be former Danish colonies in your particular timeline. The upper limit of the timeframe is the year 2020, as in our world. You cannot reuse any flags for these countries that you've created for past rounds of the WFC.

You don't have to create an alternate flag for both lands, one is sufficient enough. Please do not use entries that are just slight modifications of existing Greenland or Faroe Island flags. As always, try to be creative and figure out something original and visually captivating. Best of luck !

Submissions Open: Now (12:00 GMT 20th May)
Submissions Close: 12:00 GMT 27th May
 
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The voting poll for round 224 has closed this afternoon. And we have another tie, with 11 votes each for the winning flags !

@BelfastBrawler and @FriendlyGhost, sincere congratulations ! :) :cool:

i mistook the new challenges thread for the submission one so i'll repost my original post here
This is just a redesign of the flag of Greenland to use the nordic cross, made so it still resembles the original one. I can't think of an interesting backstory for this scenario, maybe just that Greenlandians reallly want to be in that nordic cross club.
View attachment 549883

The flag of the Kingdom of Heildeyja and Fjærheilja (Holy Fire Island and Far Holy Island)

When the first Norsemen arrived on Heildeyja (OTL Iceland) in the early 9th century AD, they found it already inhabited by a few Irish hermits, whom they called the Papar. The cohabitation did not last long and by AD870 there were no Christians left on the island. Over the next century, various missionaries visited the island, from Ireland, Scotland and Norway, sometimes singly, sometimes in groups. All of them were forced to leave by the pagan inhabitants, if they were not killed outright.

Then, in AD987, Áed mac Cellaig arrived. Disdaining the non-confrontational approach used by his predecessors, Áed challenged one of the pagan priests to a test of power, apparently in imitation of Elijah's challenge to the priest of Baal recorded in the Old Testament (1 Kings 18 vv22-38). According to the Life of the Blessed Saint Áed (written in the 10th century), he went to the top of one mountain whilst the priest of Odin went to the top of another, accompanied by other priests and many acolytes. Just before dawn, the pagan priests set up an altar for a sacrifice, whilst Áed knelt to pray. As he raised his arms in supplication, 'the power of the Lord of Hosts shook the whole land and the followers of the false gods were consumed by cleansing fire issuing from the heavens and the earth'. The priests of Odin had set up their altar on a volcano, which erupted. Áed, from his vantage point on the neighbouring peak, saw: 'a cross of fire, planted by the Lord God where the unholy men had dared to worship their false gods.'

Encouraged by this sign of God's favour, Áed redoubled his missionary work and was able to convince many chieftains of the power of his God. By the time of his death at the age of 69 in AD1021, the whole population of the island was Christian. There is still a church on the site of the abbey he founded, though nothing remains of the original buildings.

The name of the island was changed from Ísland (meaning land of ice) to Heilög Eldeyja (meaning holy fire island). Over time this became shortened/corrupted to its current name of Heildeyja.

Fjærheilja (OTL Greenland) was first visited by voyagers from Heildeyja only a few decades afterwards. They found a land with fertile shores but with mountains of ice not far inland. The blinding light of the sun reflected from the ice, coupled with story of Áed, still fresh in their minds, inspired them to call the land Fjær Heilög Eyja (meaning far holy island). As happened with the name of their home island, this became corrupted over time into Fjærheilja.

Over the next few centuries, 'ownership' of Fjærheilja was disputed amongst the kings of Heildeyja, Denmark and sometimes Norway, but in 1513 the then-king of Heildeyja bought it from the Danish throne, in exchange for the Suðførroyar (Southern Sheep Islands, OTL Faroe Islands), which had been taken over by the Heildeyjans some hundred years before for non-payment of a dowry. In truth, the Danes viewed Fjærheilja as worthless compared with the Førroyar, the latter being a valuable stopping point for a voyage across the North Atlantic.

The flag of the Kingdom of Heildeyja and Fjærheilja is almost identical to the flag first recorded for just Heildeyja in The book of all nations from 1271. It celebrates the vision of the fiery cross which Saint Áed saw in the eruption. The black mountain in Heildeyja's original flag, representing the volcano's basalt slopes, was made green, representing the fertile land around the shores of Fjærheilja, and a second shade of blue was added to represent the sea joining the two lands as well as the original light blue representing the sky, or heaven.

Description of the modern flag (dating from 1513)
A red circle bordered with yellow, with red and yellow spreading out horizontally and vertically from the central circle, symbolising the eruption and 'fiery cross' seen by St Áed and representing Heildeyja, sits on top of a green mountain, representing Fjærheilja. Dark blue, symbolising the sea joining the two lands, and light blue, symbolising the sky above them both, are in the background.

View attachment 551667
(Apologies for my mangling of the Icelandic language)

Edit: the backstory has been updated to make this meet the 'Greenland or Faroe Islands' part of the challenge. The flag remains the same.

Feel free to debate and decide about the theme of the next round (225), or if you can't think of anything, you can reuse the condominium idea we voted for last time but didn't use for round 224. More ideas here, in a new repository article for the WFC, on unused ideas for the contest.
 
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For the next contest, I decided to take as a theme the title of the only story I've ever had published*: There are no stars tonight
*shameless plug - it's in the SeaLion Press 1st World War anthology N'Oublions Jamais - if you do read it, please consider leaving a review - all honest reviews are welcome.

Weekly Flag Challenge № 225: There are no stars
The re-design can be as simple or complicated as you want - the only rule is that the new flag must not have any stars at all.​
You may include the original flag in your entry if you want, but this is not a requirement.​
Submissions Open: Now (5th June)​
Submissions Close: about a week later: 1200 GMT 12th June

This challenge comes to you courtesy of the International Society of Stellaphobic Vexillologists*.
*no, it doesn't really exist :openedeyewink:

Edit: challenge number corrected to 225, not 224 - the dangers of using copy and paste demonstrated again!
 
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WFC #226: The Ol' Switcharoo

Pick two OTL flags, one that is generally considered good and one that is generally considered bad (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you want, you can mention why you think one is a good design and one is a bad one). Then redesign each one with the styling of the other. You should link the originals, please don't include them as images since a post with 2 pics will be pretty big already, so 4 will be cumbersome to read.

Note that some pairs won't work. If you pick for example, Poland and Indonesia, with the argument "Indonesia's is bad because it's nearly undistiguishable" you won't be able to realize a submission. So try to pick flags that are pretty different from eachother.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 29th of June, 12:00 GMT
 
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The submitted flags for challenge 226
edfee24d-1e08-4541-9b4b-cd6d174b6d1f-png.561583

6a40ad30-fbc8-498f-98dc-431791145b5e-png.561584

Flag to redesign: Nanjing, China
640px-Flag_of_Nanjing%2C_China_%281988–1997%29.svg.png
The flag isn’t ugly per se, in reality, I’d say by placing its emblem in the center of the red section, it’s displayed the majesty of the medieval capital of the Chinese empire quite well. The problem, however, is the colour.

Not only the red-and-green combination unpopular in Chinese aesthetics, it also had little relevance to the local culture. The combination of “Red = blood of the martyrs who died for the freedom, Green = New life, vegetation, ecology” could be used for every city around the world. Only the white line for Yantze River is relevant.

In addition, its complex emblem of Bìxié, while beautiful, is hard to draw. In the light of the central government’s hostility to cities having their own flags, we need the flags to be easily memorable in order for it to survive as a part of local identity.

So I decided to give it an easy-to-draw floral emblem, topped on an easy-to-remember colour combination. In search for an example, I found the flag of Ehime, Japan.

Example flag: Ehime, Japan
640px-Flag_of_Ehime_Prefecture.svg.png
Wiki:“Yellow stands for happiness, green for peace and white for simplicity and purity. The mon represents orange blossom, the prefectural flower.”

It’s colors are very are well-coordinated and pleasing to the the eye, while it’s floral symbol could easily be drawn by a child. No wonder it’s re-adopted in 1999 after a 1989 abolition.

New flag of Nanjing
View attachment 561583
Purple and Gold alludes to the “Purple-Gold Mountain” north of the city, while six plum blossoms (City flower of Nanjing) symbolizes the status of Nanjing as an imperial capital during the Six Dynasties period.

If you wonder, red is chosen for the plum to commemorate the Ming Dynasty, while gold, associates with water in Fengshui, could also mean the Yangtze River.

New flag of Ehime
View attachment 561584
Red for the Japanese sun, green (peace) and yellow (happiness) from the original flag, while the central figures are the three famous castles of Ehime, a majestic emblem, but tedious to draw. ( but even this design is better than the 1989-1999 Ehime flag.)
 
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Weekly Flag Challenge 227: Liberty Guides Our Steps

In celebration of the upcoming French National Day, with a PoD no later than 8th July 1815, create a flag for an AH country organized under Revolutionary French influences. The country must show certain level of revolutionary ideals on its flag.

It could be a more successful Republican France itself, or
1) the French army marching into a country they didn’t conquer IOTL, and set up an AH Sister Republic, or
2) the OTL French allies organized differently into an AH country, or
3) a French-style revolution breaking out where they didn’t IOTL, under the DIRECT influence of the French Revolution.

Republican government isn’t compulsory, the country can be Napoleon’s creation, but it mustn’t have a monarch from Napoleon‘s family.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 14th July 23:59, Paris Standard Time
( or 21:59 GMT)
 
The winner of WFC 227 is: @Professor, and his entry for Revolutionary Britain.

it’s now his turn to post a new challenge
british-republic-1-png.564023

Here goes then:

Revolutionary Britain

The History
A quirk of birth leads to a Wittelsbach on the thrones of England, Ireland, and Scotland, and a later, milder political union of all three, albeit with heavier oversight from the Lords and the Crown.
Rebellion in the American Colonies is averted and representation in the form of the Colonial Chamber provided. This dampens down reform but not the clamour for it from the commoners who see rich colonials having greater influence on government than they.
Across the channel France hasn't needed to overspend as much it might but the financial cracks and lower class discontent remain. This boils over when a riot over bread prices leads to massive overreaction by local troops and a full blown rebellion occurs. Rebellion leads to revolution and the King flees to a friendlier Britain.
However this inflames the local British poor. One thing leads to another and the Revolutionaries now control northern France and southern Britain...

The Flag
The early flag was the simple horizontal blue-white-green of the republicans but has since been modified as the Revolution senesced and the least aristocratic moneyed classes brought on board.
The British Tricolour now has cottices and is overlain with the new symbol of the Revolution in Britain, a voided white star on red. This is surrounded by a golden laurel and surmounted by 3 golden stars for Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality.
View attachment 564023
 
Flag Challenge 228: The East Romance Empire or Romaniania

Design a flag or ensign for an empire dominated by Eastern Romance speakers or where they form a significant role in the administration.

The "empire" can be any monarchical or republican form.
The flag/ensign can be any of the 6 types (civil, state, military flag, civil, state, military ensign).
The Eastern Romance language can be current, extinct, or a conlang related to these.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 29th July 23:59 BST
 
And the winner!
Imperiul Românească

Sigismund was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1433 amid constant conflict with the Ottoman Empire to the southeast. At the same time, a rebellion against Turkish occupation was heating up in Albania, and the newly crowned emperor called out for the boyars of the east to come to the aid of the Albanians. Sensing an opportunity to solidify his claim on the rule of Wallachia, Vlad agreed to pledge every soldier in Wallachia to the cause if Sigismund would secure the throne of Wallachia for him. Sigismund came through, imprisoning Vlad's main rival, Dan II and handing the reins of power to the ambitious Romanian. Vlad was declared Prince of Wallachia.

Vlad Dracul proved to be an able recruiter and motivator of his people. He raised an impressive force and rode them to Albania, cutting a devastating swath through Turkish forces. While the troops weren't especially skilled, they benefited from a series of engagements against weaker and smaller Turkish forces that allowed Vlad to cull through lieutenants and promote the best. By the time Vlad's Dragons faced the Ottomans in the decisive battle of the Albanian Rebellion, they were ready. The Turks eventually surrendered and were allowed to march back home after leaving their armour and weapons on the field.

This was only the beginning. Seeking revenge, the Turks invaded again, and with combined forces from the entire region, as well as troops lent by Sigismund, Vlad pushed them back to Constantinople. Vlad was elevated to High King of the East, and all the regions between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were placed under his authority.

Upon the death of Sigismund in 1443, Vlad Dracul announced that as there was no successor to the Holy Roman Emperor, he was declaring himself the Emperor of Romania. The banner of his house evolved to become the banner of the empire - Imperiul Românească.


*Obviously, things have changed in this timeline. Vlad doesn't get tossed back and forth between Sigismund and the Turks, he doesn't have to contend with House Danesti, and the now successful Albanian Rebellion sets him on a different path entirely. Sigismund lives a little longer, allowing Vlad to consolidate his power. In my timeline, his son (the one we know as Vlad Tepes, or Dracula) earns his name in the 1451 Siege of Constantinople, just after his father's death.
 
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FLAG CHALLENGE #229: The Iron Dragon - El Presidente and the Republic of Mexico (1819)

DESCRIPTION OF CHALLENGE

In another world, Augustin de Iturbide had chafed under the abuses of the Spanish monarchy. Living in New Spain had brought him to sympathize with the seemingly continuous calls for independence. His first-hand involvement in the suppression of the attempted "coup" of Itturigaray convinced him that not only was independence necessary for New Spain, but that it would have to be conducted primarily as a military mission. When a nascent insurgency offered to make him a general, Iturbide saw his chance.

His military exploits lifted a new nation to prominence in the New World, and his political savvy protected it and saw it flourish. The Republic of Mexico is established in 1819 and unanimously elects Augustin de Iturbide as its first President.

In this timeline, there is no need of the Three Guarantees, and thus, the flag that later evolves into the current flag of Mexico. This is the challenge: Create a new flag for this timeline's Republic of Mexico or one of its constituent states (you are free to take liberties as long as they do not violate the premise of the challenge). The flag can be the original flag, or a flag that has evolved over time, etc. It must come from after this particular POD - the founding of the Republic of Mexico in 1819.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 2 pm EDT
 
The WINNER is @Gokbay !!!

ENTRY 1.png


Flag of the First Republic of Mexico, founded in 1819. Also used by the United Mexican States (4th Republic).
A combination of Miguel Hidalgo's banner from 1810 and the tricolor of the Mexican Naval Insurgents from 1815.
Used by the First Mexican Republic until the military coup by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in early 1830s. Santa Anna would establish the short lived 1st Mexican Empire with him as its emperor. With its flag being The eagle on cactus emblem on white with a light blue border. This state was followed by the Federal Republic of Mexico (2nd Republic) which moved the depiction of Virgin Mary to the upper half of the white stripe, the other half of the stripe being covered by golden sunbursts representing each state. That republic was followed the Centrist Republic of Mexico (3rd Republic) which used the simple white-blue-red tricolor. Centrist Republic was deposed by the Second Mexican Empire (or the Napoleonic Mexico) in 1860s which had a blue-white-red flag with a crowned eagle on cactus with snake, colored gold [think the eagles on the corners of the 2nd Mexican Empire flag OTL], on the white stripe. This empire was overthrown in 1910 by the Mexican Revolution which established the United Mexican States or the 4th Republic. This republic would readopt the flag of the First Republic.
These colors were viewed as representing Religion, Liberty and Independence in the 1st Republic.
While in the 4th Republic the official symbolism is Unity, Republicanism and Independence.
 
FLAG CHALLENGE #230: The International Community

Create the flag of an ATL organisation that is the equivalent of the League of Nations and/or the United Nations. POD should be before the end of WW1.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: Monday, August 24, 2020 at 23:35 GMT +3
 
@The Professor is the winner:

The International Alliance owes it origins to the fallout from the European War of the early 20th century when the Franco-Russian entente fought against the Austro-German league. Civil Wars in the Russian and French empires following their humiliation saw intervention from the neutral British and, to some extent, the Americans.
The 1919 Anglo-German Accord to limit takeovers of territory of the French, Russians, and allies, developed into the early Alliance for International Cooperation, often called the World Hansa, as a medium to resolve disputes over territory and promote trade without recourse to war or revolution. Though not overly effective reconciling the Russian Factions it had greater effect with limiting the Chinese Civil War in the 30s enabling a mostly stable constitutional state and bringing the US onboard in time for the Indian War of Independence that nearly broke the British Empire, later Federation, from the Alliance.
The demand to regulate peacekeeping, provide aid, and control truly free & fair trade, led to the Council and also the Assembly of Nations as semi-governmental organisations turning creating the International Alliance.
The basic AIC organisation still exists as an alternative to full membership, although only Japan is the major economic power without some involvement with the full IA, and as such its symbol of nested stars on a nested pentagon was adapted to produce that of the IA: nested stars on and within rings.
Below shows the flag used by the IA peacekeeping forces, the main field of rayed blues representative of land, air, and sea in union.
alliance-for-intl-cooperation.png
 
Flag Challenge 231: GB = Gallo-Britannic

Design a flag for a polity evolved from the equal union of a state based in "Gallic" Europe and that in the British Isles.

Restrictions & definitions:
Gallic Europe is defined as the lands between the Pyrenees, the Juras, the Weser River, and the Channel.
The British Isles is defined as those islands between the Atlantic, Channel, and North Sea.
The POD must be between Roman Britain and WW2.
The union must originally have been between equal sovereign states.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 23.59 BST 5th September 2020
 
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