A statewide contest has been launched to find a new state slogan. High school seniors are invited to write essays about what they want thestate to be in 2010. The students who author the top 45 essays will beinvited to Des Moines to sift through thousands of slogan suggestions. Then, the top four state slogans will be presented to Iowans who can votevia the Internet or by paper ballots in their local newspaper. GovernorVilsack says the process will make Iowans stop and think about who we are.Vilsack says many of the state’s newspapers will print the top 45student-essays.Vilsack has already received thousands of state slogan suggestions and sayssome are downright bizarre.The new state slogan will be unveiled in August, during the Iowa State Fair.Vilsack says the state slogan probably will show up on welcome signs alongthe Interstate and on his official stationery.The state slogan will NOT become the state motto, nor will it be used bystate tourism officials in marketing materials. “Iowa, You Make Me Smile”has been the cornerstone of the state’s tourism marketing for the past fouryears. The process will see Iowans vote on a new state slogan, not a motto. Themotto was written when the state was admitted to the union and is “Ourliberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” For the curious, the state bird is the goldfinch, the state flower is thewild rose and the state rock is the geode.
