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By Dana Ferguson

The State Emblems Redesign Commission is set to meet Tuesday with a goal of picking finalists for a new Minnesota state flag and seal.

The panel of elected leaders, historians and others is set to meet in St. Paul to narrow the field of thousands of submissions to five. The group will take testimony from members of the public and hear from an expert on flag design.

The panel plans to meet again next month to move from five finalists to one design each for Minnesota’s next flag and seal.

Submissions are required to reflect Minnesota’s shared history, resources and diverse cultural communities. Designers won’t be eligible for a prize or monetary compensation if their idea gets picked.

The Minnesota Historical Society said hundreds of thousands of people accessed its online gallery to view and critique the designs online.

Barring a veto from the Legislature, the new state emblems will replace current ones in May.

To be eligible, a designer had to be 18 or older, or have a parent or guardian submit on their behalf. Each submitter could enter up to three designs for the flag and three for the seal. Members of the commission, along with their immediate family were ineligible to apply.