Campaign for new Naperville flag turns to online votes

Adam Souhrada designed this flag as a potential new banner for the city of Naperville in a contest being run by a group of Neuqua Valley High School students. The students plan to show the winning banner on Nov. 4 during the TEDx Naperville speakers conference. Courtesy of Naperville Flag

Some designs submitted to a Naperville flag design contest are reminiscent of the city of Chicago's flag, such as this version submitted by Jacob Olsen. Courtesy of Naperville Flag

Designer Jeannie Lee incorporated the Millennium Carillon into this submission to a flag-design contest being run by a group of students from Neuqua Valley High School. Online voting among the top dozen of 139 submissions is expected to begin later this month. Courtesy of Naperville Flag

This potential new Naperville flag design by Will Russell shows six stars for the six townships within the city and doesn't try to imitate the city's current logo or the Chicago flag. It is one of 139 designs submitted to the Campaign for a Better Naperville Flag. Online voting for 12 finalists begins Tuesday at napervilleflag.org. Courtesy of Naperville Flag

Rachel He submitted this design of a new Naperville flag with leaves to symbolize the city's natural beauty and curved blue lines to show its location along the West Branch of the DuPage River. This design is among 139 submitted to the Campaign for a Better Naperville Flag, which opens online voting Tuesday. Courtesy of Naperville Flag

A campaign to design a new Naperville city flag drew the good, the bad and the ugly, but online voting is about to begin to choose the best.

Designers from Naperville, the region and the world submitted 139 options between March and Aug. 1, which far exceeded the expectations of the Neuqua Valley High School students behind the Campaign for a Better Naperville Flag.

With so many options, campaign organizers are soon to leave the decision of which design best represents the city up to the public. Online voting is set to begin Tuesday at napervilleflag.org.

"We're now placing it in the hands of individuals such as yourselves," Andy Wang, director of technology for the campaign, told Naperville City Council members last week.

After hearing a recorded talk by design expert Roman Mars, the students decided Naperville's municipal flag -- with the city seal atop a blue square on a white banner also featuring the word "Naperville" -- could be better. So they're planning to unveil a new option that can be used beyond city hall as a banner to unite and represent the community.

"We not only want, but deserve, a flag that is an accurate representation of the diverse and vibrant community that is Naperville today," said Connor Tenny, executive director of the campaign.

Council members and other community leaders voted first to help narrow the field to 12 finalists.

"Some of them were really simple and they were just adorable and I think they would be a wonderful representation for the city of Naperville," council member Patty Gustin said. "Every great city deserves a great flag."

Once voters choose the winner, the new flag will be introduced during the TEDx Naperville speakers conference on Nov. 4.