A flag design by Hallie Easterday and a seal design by Doug Gremel were recently announced as the winners of the city of Seward’s 4th of July competition.
The city in April announced a competition to select unique flag and seal designs fitting for the Seward community. Previously, Seward did not have a city flag and the seal was, as Mayor Josh Eickmeier describes it, “a circle with the word seal in it.’
Winners were announced after the annual 4th of July parade.
About 300 people – students and adults – contributed design ideas, and in the end, two designs were selected.
Some classrooms may have taken the contest on as projects, but Eickmeier was pleased with the results.
“I was really excited that there was that much participation, that people really embraced it,” Eickmeier said. “They were very thoughtful. It is interesting to me to see people’s different perspectives.
“I kind of expected it might be more fireworks and 4th of July.”
Eickmeier said the winning designs were tweaked slightly for the formats and simplicity needed for reproduction in their actual sizes, but both will be used. The actual city flag will be 3 by 5 feet, while the seal is typically used in a small format on documents and occasionally in larger format in marketing.
Hallie Easterday’s flag is prominently red, white and blue and reflects Seward’s agricultural base with an ear of corn in its center.
Doug Gremel’s seal invokes the 250th anniversary of the United States’ celebration and includes fireworks under the words “City of Seward.”
The top three entries in each category were to receive a $10 prize and the winner, in addition to having their flag adopted, is to receive a $25 prize, a framed copy of their entry and a certificate signed by Eickmeier.
He said it seemed appropriate to incorporate the 250th anniversary celebration in the seal this year.
