Birmingham (England, UK)

The flag of Birmingham has its use restricted to official use only, so the Birmingham City Council decided to open a contest for choosing a "community flag", for less restricted use.

This is council's flag:


It's a banner of council's arms, whose symbolism can be better explained here:


Analyzing local heraldry, I found that the most used elements was the bend of lozenges. It would finally become the basis for my proposed flag. The city's coat of arms focuses in Birmingham's importance at industry, arts and learning.

So my first idea for a flag was the following, with a gear for industry, a brush for arts and a feather for education:


But I think it wasn't a very effective design, so I replaced brush and feather for the sun, whose symbolism can be better expressed in my rationale. This was my entry in the contest:


I submitted the following rationale:

The flag is inspired by the original coat of arms of De Birmingham family. The gear represents Birmingham's industry. The sun is the source of light, representing city's importance in Arts and Education, as well as its role in Midlands Enlightenment. The golden diamonds also stand for Jewellery Quarter.

Now it's just hope that any good entry win the contest.

Comments are welcome.
Sorry for the unconventional delay. I had to assure the contest was closed and gone through technical problems.