What is Flag of Australia?
[[File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg|thumb|220px|right|The [[flag]] of [[Australia]]]] The '''[[flag]] of [[Australia]]''' is a national flag. In 1901, Australia became a single country, instead of six separate [[colony|colonies]]. A [[competition]] was held to design a new flag for the new country. The winning flag has a [[blue]] background, the [[Union Jack]], and six stars. Five stars are in the shape of the [[constellation]] the [[Southern Cross]], the other is the Commonwealth Star. The flag has been used from 1903, but did not become the official flag of Australia until 1953.<ref name=yb/> == Competition == On 29 April 1901, some private companies with the support of the Australian Government set up a competition to design a new flag for Australia.<ref name=yb>{{cite journal |last=Cameron |first=Roy | year=1983 | journal=Year Book Australia | title=The Australian Flag |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MVc4-noHRpIC&pg=PA23 |publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] | location=Canberra | volume=67 | pages=23–28 | issn=0810-8633}} (also available as [https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/3BE68B9F55190C12CA257AF70012D233/$File/13010_1983_chapter1.pdf ''PDF file'']).</ref> The prize money was ₤200 including ₤75 from a [[magazine]] and ₤50 from a [[tobacco]] company.<ref name=yb/> There were 32,823 designs entered into the competition.<ref name=yb/> These were put on show in [[Melbourne]] at the [[Royal Exhibition Building]]. The judges, from the army, navy, [[merchant marine|merchant navy]], and pilot service, to choose the best flag were: * Captain Clare of HMS Protector * Captain Edie, Superintendent of Navigation, [[Sydney]] * Captain J.A. Mitchell, from the Victorian Pilot service * Lieutenant Thompson, from HMS Katoomba * Mr.J.W. Evans, Member of the House of Representatives from [[Tasmania]]. The judges took eight days to choose a winning flag.<ref name=cf>{{cite book | last = Foley| first =Carol A. | authorlink = | title = The Australian Flag: Colonial Relic or Contemporary Ico