The final five entries in official Aberdeenshie flag competition – and what each one means

From the start of December until early January, thousands of people voted in our official Aberdeenshire flag competition.

The contest opened last year, with judges forming a shortlist from a record-breaking 820 entries.

The final five were then adapted by Scotland’s leading flag expert Philip Tibbetts to fit the strict rules of heraldry before going to the vote.

Polling closed on January 13, and the winner will be revealed at a history-making ceremony early in 2023.

Until then, you can learn all about our final five here.

Flag A

The cross is made of two colours; blue for the Don and the Dee, and green for Aberdeenshire’s arable land and wild woodland.

It is on a bright golden background representing the light, as the county is the first in mainland Scotland to greet the dawn as well as a good place for seeing stars at night.

The crown at the centre recalls the heritage of the county, having appeared in the arms of the historic county council.

Flag B

The salmon symbolise fishing both out at sea and within the county’s waterways, and the natural life cycle that unites them.

The two yellow lines represent the two ancient mormaer earldoms of the historic county.

Mar gives us the diagonal orientation, while the blue field denotes Buchan.

Flag C

The white castle represents Aberdeenshire as Scotland’s ‘Castle Country’ but also Balmoral specifically, whose royal association is referenced by the inclusion of a crown.

The golden-orange colour represents both barley, with the county hosting a quarter of the nation’s arable land, and the whisky that results.

Meanwhile, the purple symbolises the heather on the mountains.

Flag D

The green field recalls the rich agricultural and natural wealth of Aberdeenshire,

A barley sheaf is used in the ancient and civic heraldry of the county, and can also represent the whisky industry.

The stone crown recalls granite, castles and the area’s royal connections.

There are five jewels for the traditional areas of the historic county: Buchan, Formartine, Gairoch, Marr and Strathbogie.

Their black colour denotes oil.

Flag E

The blue inverted Y shape represents the Dee and the Don flowing through the county before they both join the North Sea.

A golden edge to the rivers represents the inland crops and the coastal beaches.

The red colour represents both Aberdeen and the Cairngorms, whose Gaelic name Am Monadh Ruadh translates to the Red Hills.

There is a red triangle at the bottom to represent one of these mountains.