Ukraine marks State Emblem Day

On Thursday, February 19, Ukraine marks State Emblem Day.

On February 19, 1992, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the trident as the Small Coat of Arms of Ukraine, considering it the main element of the future Great State Coat of Arms.

An open competition to design the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine was announced on June 24, 1991 – while the Soviet Union still existed – in accordance with a parliamentary resolution. Under the auspices of the parliamentary Commission on Culture and Spirituality, a working group and jury were formed, consisting of lawmakers, historians, art experts and museum specialists.

On October 4, 1991, the expert group summed up the results of the competition. More than 200 entries were submitted (all of which are now stored in the Central State Archive of Supreme Authorities and Government of Ukraine). Importantly, 192 of them featured the trident in various contexts.

The winning design was created by historian and heraldry expert Andrii Hrechilo and artist Ivan Turetskyi. According to Hrechilo, the trident in the graphic tradition of the reign of Grand Prince Volodymyr was chosen deliberately, since it was under Prince Volodymyr that all ethnic Ukrainian lands were united within one state. In 1918, the trident was also adopted as the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People's Republic as a symbol of the unity of Ukrainian lands. The emblem thus embodies the idea of restoring the tradition of statehood.

The Great State Coat of Arms of Ukraine has still not been officially approved.