GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs has congratulated the Collectivity of Saint-Martin and Valérie Damaseau on the initiative to establish an official territorial flag for the French side, describing the effort as an important step in nation-building, cultural identity and regional and international recognition.
Speaking during her weekly MECYS Update, Gumbs said she is interested to see what the French side will ultimately select as the process moves from public consultation into the design phase.
The Minister encouraged residents across the island to follow the initiative and the upcoming stages of the process.
Gumbs noted that the French side does not currently have an official territorial flag of its own that can be used alongside the French tricolour. She also addressed the use of the Unity Flag, which has at times been presented or treated as if it were the national flag of the French side.
According to Gumbs, that was never the intended purpose of the Unity Flag.
She said the decision to pursue an official flag is consistent with the French side’s continuing efforts toward nation-building and strengthening its identity and recognition within the region and internationally.
Gumbs congratulated Damaseau and the Collectivity in advance on the development of what she described as a national symbol reflecting the culture and heritage of the people of Saint-Martin.
Her comments come as the Collectivity moves into the next stage of an extensive public process to determine what the future flag should represent.
Results of a citizen consultation presented on Monday, August 10, showed that residents placed diversity and multiculturalism at the center of Saint-Martin’s identity, while also expressing strong preferences for colors and symbols connected to the island’s natural environment, history and culture.
The consultation recorded 425 contributions, including 128 participants in seven neighbourhood workshops and 297 responses through an online questionnaire. All six neighbourhood councils were represented during the process, which ran from May 1 through June 30.
Diversity and multiculturalism emerged as the strongest value associated with the future flag, receiving support from 77 percent of online respondents and arising spontaneously during each of the neighbourhood workshops.
Resilience followed with 56 percent support, while unity received 38 percent. Discussions surrounding resilience referenced the territory’s ability to recover from major challenges, including Hurricane Irma, while participants also emphasized maintaining a shared Saint-Martin identity within a diverse population.
The flamboyant tree, sea and beaches were among the symbols receiving the strongest support.
The sea and beaches were selected by 61 percent of online respondents, while the flamboyant received 39 percent. Participants associated the flamboyant with resilience, beauty, fertility and abundance, while the sea was linked to geography, freedom, history and the economy.
The consultation also produced clear preferences regarding color.
Turquoise blue, associated with the sea, sky and freedom, received support from 82 percent of respondents. Tropical green, representing nature, hills and hope, received 68 percent, while yellow, gold or orange tones associated with sand, sunshine, sunsets and the warmth of the population received 62 percent.
An orange-red tone associated with the flamboyant, resilience and strength received 57 percent support.
Residents generally favored a simple design with no more than three principal colors and also expressed a desire for the eventual flag to remain visually distinct from both the French tricolour and the existing Unity Flag.
The consultation results are intended to guide rather than dictate the creative process.
The design competition officially opened on August 11 and will remain open until September 30, 2026, at noon Saint-Martin time.
Professionals and amateurs may participate, including young people, students, schools and teams. Participants must demonstrate a lasting connection to Saint-Martin, either through qualifying residency or membership in the Saint-Martin diaspora.
Each candidate or team may submit one design.
Artificial intelligence-generated designs are prohibited, and participants will be required to provide information about their creative process to demonstrate the authenticity of their work.
Following the submission deadline, eligible designs will be anonymized and presented to a jury. Designs must achieve at least 60 out of 80 jury points to remain under consideration, after which 10 finalists will be selected.
The public will then be invited to vote on the finalist designs. The public vote will account for 20 points of the final score, while the jury assessment will account for 80 points.
The three highest-scoring candidates will subsequently appear individually before the jury to explain and defend their creative process. That stage is intended to verify the authenticity of the work rather than award additional points.
A consultative public vote is expected in October, with the process then moving toward consideration and formal adoption by the Territorial Council. The timetable presented by organizers anticipates official adoption of the new flag in November 2026 if the process proceeds as planned.
The future flag is expected to be used at official, institutional, sporting and cultural events and provide the French side with a recognizable symbol for regional and international representation.
Gumbs welcomed the effort to develop a symbol rooted in the views of the population and said she looks forward to seeing the eventual design.
She wished Damaseau, the Collectivity and the people of Saint-Martin success as the process continues toward the selection of a flag intended to reflect the territory’s history, culture, diversity and heritage.
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