The Museum of the Aleutians is sponsoring a contest in which Alaska students can win cash prizes for answering questions about Benny Benson, the Unangax̂ teenager who created Alaska’s state flag in 1927.
Almost a century later, Benson is celebrated across the state for his design featuring the Big Dipper — but details about his life have long been a source of confusion. Recent discoveries led to a superior court judge ordering the State of Alaska to correct the year on Benson’s birth certificate, as well as the revelation that Benson, long thought to be of Sugpiaq heritage, was actually Unangax̂.
The research contest, which dives into the mysteries surrounding Benson’s life, opened on July 9 in concurrence with Alaska Flag Day. For the next year, middle and high schoolers statewide can answer research questions about Benson, with a $250 prize attached to each. Entrants may win up to eight possible prizes, for a total of $2,000. Questions center around Benson’s birthplace, family, height and other facts from his early life.
Ginny Hatfield is the director of the Museum of the Aleutians. She encourages young researchers to take advantage of archival material in local libraries and said students might also want to ask for family histories and records that aren't publicly accessible.
“Probably, a person who tries to do this research is going to find answers to multiple of these mysteries,” Hatfield said.
The contest lasts through June 9, 2024.