The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to

vexillology Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synthe ...

, the scientific and scholarly study of

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

s. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith (1940–2016), and others. Its membership of 600+ comprises flag scholars, enthusiasts, designers, collectors, conservators, educators, merchants, manufacturers, historians, and hobbyists. NAVA publishes '' Raven: A Journal of Vexillology,'' an annual peer-reviewed journal and ''Vexillum,'' a quarterly magazine (combining the previous ''Flag Research Quarterly'' and ''NAVA News''). They cover vexillological topics and inter-disciplinary discussion as well as the Association's proceedings and other vexillological news., Its guidebook to flag design, ''"Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag'', articulates the basic principles of vexillography and has influenced flag-design efforts across the U.S. and beyond. It has been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, and Russian, and is available online. NAVA honors achievement in the field with several honors and awards: * Captain

William Driver Old Glory is a nickname for the flag of the United States. The original "Old Glory" was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver (March 17, 1803 – March 3, 1886), who flew the flag during his career at sea and ...

Award: presented to the individual who presents the best paper at the association's annual meeting * The Vexillonnaire Award: recognizing a flag scholar who becomes personally involved in a significant and successful act of creating, changing, or improving flag design, or promoting good flag usage or altering it for the better * Kevin Harrington Award: presented to the individual who authors the best article to appear in a non-vexillological publication during the preceding year * John Purcell Award: presented to an individual for an exemplary contribution that promotes public understanding of vexillology in North America * Doreen Braverman Award: presented to an organizational member who supports the association's mission by making a significant contribution to the vexillological community * Whitney Smith Fellow: an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

may be elected to this honor by NAVA's executive board. An honoree is entitled to use the postnominals "WSF" * Honorary membership: honors an individual who renders distinguished service to the association or vexillology NAVA is the largest vexillological organization in the world and a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations.

Organization flag

The association's flag consists of a large white "V" (an inverted

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...

) separating a blue triangle above from two red triangles on either side. The length of the top side of the blue triangle is the same as the width of the flag ("width" is the vertical dimension when flying from a flagpole). The flag proportion is 2:3. The "V" represents vexillology. The colors are from the flags of the two countries in the association,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Annual meetings

Since 1967, the association has held annual meetings across the

and

for all those interested in flags to present and discuss research, share their passion for flags, and to honor vexillological achievement. Since 1977, it has marked each meeting with a distinctive flag. The latest one was NAVA 57 in 2022 between June 17th-19th at

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabi ...

. This was the first hybrid annual meeting, with 80 people participating, 53 in person and 37 via Zoom.

References

External links

NAVA website
{{Authority control Clubs and societies in the United States Clubs and societies in Canada International Federation of Vexillological Associations Organizations established in 1967 Heraldic societies Semiotics organizations Vexillological organizations