City of Toledo Flag Design Competition

Help design Toledo's next flag!

In 2024 The City of Toledo held a competition for proposed redesigns of the Toledo flag, facilitated by The Arts Commission. The selected flag was announced on January 7, 2025 at Toledo's 188th birthday celebration.

This initiative aimed to engage the community in reimagining the city's visual identity and unify residents around a new flag design that reflects Toledo's spirit and values. A Design Review Board (DRB) composed of community members and design experts guided the redesign process. 

Individuals were required to reside in the City of Toledo to participate in this redesign effort. Design submissions remained anonymous throughout the process, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation of each entry. Three finalists for the project received cash prizes for their designs.

Click here to view the City of Toledo's Announcement of the Selected Flag

Click here to view semifinalist designs.
Click here to view semifinalist descriptions.
Click here to view all eligible submissions.

Important Information

View Selected Flag Announcement Submission Guidelines View All Eligible Submissions View Semifinalist Designs View Semifinalist Descriptions

A new Toledo flag was unveiled on January 7, 2025 in honor of the city's 188th birthday. The flag, created by Toledo resident and designer Mark Yappueying, reimagines elements from the city seal, including a modernized blockhouse representing Toledo’s historical roots and industrial strength. Two blue bands symbolize the Maumee River, and a red starburst rises over the horizon, marking the city's geographical position. The flag's color palette—dark blue, light blue, white, and red—reflects Toledo’s rich history, natural resources, and indomitable spirit.

Residents of Toledo had the opportunity to submit their feedback about the semifinalist designs to aid the Design Review Board in making its selection of three finalists, with one first place winner ultimately being presented as the City of Toledo’s new flag.

Design Review Board

Voting Members

Dan Hernandez (Chair)

The Arts Commission Board President / Artist 

Wade Kapszukiewicz

Mayor of Toledo

Carrie Hartman

Toledo City Council President

Tedd Long

Toledo Historian

Terwase Ngur

Toledo Lucas County Public Library

Laura Kaprowski

TARTA

Valerie White

University of Toledo

Tiffany Whitman

Director of the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Kelli Fischer

Toledo Museum of Art

Non-Voting Members

Rachel Hart

City of Toledo’s Mayor's Office

Marc Folk

President and CEO, The Arts Commission

Nathan Mattimoe

Director of Art in Public Places, The Arts Commission

Ben Cook

Project Manager, Art in Public Places

History of the Toledo Flag

First Flag: 1909-1994

The first flag of Toledo was adopted by the Toledo City Council on January 11, 1909. The flag features a vertical, blue | white | blue, tricolor with a blue circle and a blue circular outline around a red, simplistic illustration representing Fort Industry. The Mayor at the time, Brand Whitlock, explained the flag's symbolism with the red, white, and blue color scheme as a reference to the colors on the flag of the United States. He also stated that the blue circle outline around Fort Industry represented unity, completeness, eternity, and the state of Ohio.

Source

Second Flag: 1994-2024

The second and current flag was adopted in 1994, and replaces the Fort Industry symbol with the newly updated city seal of Toledo. Mayor Carty Finkbeiner approved the new flag in the run up to Toledo's 160th anniversary that took place in 1997.

Source

Current Flag: 2025-Present

Created by Toledo resident and designer Mark Yappueying, this flag reimagines elements from the city seal, including a modernized blockhouse representing Toledo’s historical roots and industrial strength. Two blue bands symbolize the Maumee River, and a red starburst rises over the horizon, marking the city's geographical position. The flag's color palette—dark blue, light blue, white, and red—reflects Toledo’s rich history, natural resources, and indomitable spirit.