In early 1934, Hassan Bey Shukri, mayor of Haifa, started the process of selecting a coat of arms for the city. In July 1935, an external committee decided on a competition with a prize of 15 Palestine pounds. By 1936, the committee, comprising with additional judges including an artist, architect and an engineer, couldn't find a winner, but was impressed with the designs suggested by Esther Berlin-Joel.