Fly your flag contest rules for middle and high school students
Fly your flag contest rules for middle and high school students
SUNN and USA TODAY, USA TODAYMon, April 6, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. SUNN + USA TODAY CONTESTS ARE INTENDED FOR PARTICIPATION BY U.S. RESIDENTS AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY U.S. LAW. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.
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Fly Your Flag contestant rules and eligibility -
Fly Your Flag contestants MUST be middle or high school students at a public, independent, charter, home, religious, or micro school and be in grades 5 through 12.
Students must be at least 13 years old to submit their own entry. Middle school contestants aged 12 or younger must get a parent or legal guardian to submit on their behalf.
Prizes will be administered within two categories for prizes: grades 5-8 and grades 9-12. See prize details below.
Your flag and artist statement may be disqualified if they contain content that is discriminatory, advocates violence, hate speech, or visual depictions of hate speech.
Students must follow copyright law in adapting images and credit any sources they borrow and/or adapt.
A flag submission may not be entirely generated by AI.
Digital media tools, such as Photoshop and Illustrator are acceptable to use.
AI tools may be used in a student’s design process (for research or feedback, for example) in accordance with their school and/or teacher guidelines.
Any AI use must be disclosed as part of the submission as prompted.
You may not enter a contest if you are related to any of the judges or administrators of that contest.
Fly Your Flag contest submission instructions: -
Each contestant will submit an image of their flag design along with a 200-400 word artist statement via the Contest’s submission portal: https://weeklypossip.com/surveys/faotyq?position=1.
Flags must be photographed and inserted into a document or slide on their own or a trusted individual’s cloud platform, then ultimately uploaded in the submission form’s question field as a link to the doc or slide.
We recommend Google Drive, but other options include Proton, Microsoft One Drive, and Imgur with viewing permission granted to anyone with the link.
[Click here or here for details on how to create a free Google account]
Artist statements can be typed into the question field on the submission form.
For support with the submission process, for alternative options, or any questions, please contact: sunncontests@usatoday.com
In addition to sharing contact and school information, the link for the image, and a 200-400 artist statement describing your flag, students will answer a series of short, optional questions about their process.
Students 12 and under must have a parent or legal guardian submit on their behalf by following the prompts in the submission portal. Student age and parent/guardian permission will be verified for finalists.
Incomplete submissions will not be accepted for consideration by the judges.
Fly Your Flag Contest Categories: -
Grades 5-8 and 9-12.
Advancing to finals:
All contest entries will be reviewed by a committee of education and media experts selected by SUNN and USA TODAY. Each entry will be assessed for impact, civic vision, unification, originality, and craftsmanship.
Up to twelve finalists in each Contest Category will be chosen by this committee, after which the judges will choose the winners among these finalists.
If a contestant is among the group chosen to move to the finals, they will be contacted by email at the email address they used to enter the contest to verify their name and age.
Contestants chosen and notified that they’ve moved into the finals may have their submission showcased on national media outlets. SUNN and USA TODAY reserve the right to include submissions for press features.
A chosen panel of judges will select the winners from the group of finalists.
Contestants will be encouraged to let their friends, fans, and family know about the contest via social media channels.
Fly Your Flag contest prize winners: -
Prize winners will be announced on SUNN and USA TODAY’s website and social channels. They will also be notified directly via email.
The winners will have 72 hours after the finalist announcement to respond and redeem the prize.
Prize winners in each of the two categories will be awarded a $1000 check for 1st place, a $750 check for 2nd place, and a $500 check for 3rd place. If winners are tied in a category, prize money will be evenly split.
Prizes will be mailed by check to the winners after confirmation of eligibility.
Prize winners can elect to have payments paid to their parents/guardians if they do not have a way of accepting/depositing checks.
Prize winners are responsible for paying income tax on the prize as required by the contestant’s state of residence and by the U.S. government.
PROMOTIONAL TERMS:
By submitting to this contest, the contestant understands that their entry can be used in promotional materials and campaigns for current and future use by SUNN and USA TODAY for an unlimited period of time. This includes but is not limited to broadcast media, print, and social media use.
Contestants retain the rights to their intellectual property.
SUNN Inc. is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation and is in the process of filing for tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3). Its mission is to promote, sustain and increase the knowledge & understanding of civics and civic engagement for young Americans.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fly your flag contest rules and how to enter
Source: “AOL Breaking”
