Neither the humble banana slug, steaming latte or legendary Bigfoot made the final cut for the Washington State Quarter. Instead, a slate of design suggestions was created through public input and thoughtful deliberation. The State Quarter Advisory Commission (SQAC) and Governor Christine Gregoire have forwarded the following five designs to the U.S. Mint:

— A salmon, Mount Rainier and an apple within an outline of Washington State

— An apple within the outline of Washington State

— An outline of Washington State with Mount Rainier centered

— A salmon breaching the water with Mount Rainier as a backdrop

— A Northwest Native American stylized orca

Additionally, suggestions were made for the inclusion of “The Evergreen State” in some of the U.S. Mint graphic designs.

Mint designers will next create pictorial renderings of the narrative submissions and send these back to SQAC in December 2005 for review. “We eagerly anticipate receipt of the U.S. Mint’s graphic designs and look forward to moving one step closer to realizing Washington’s quarter,” said SQAC Chairman Mike Gregoire.

In April 2006, SQAC will present up to five coin designs on the state quarter Web site http://www.governor.wa.gov/quarter, inviting Washington citizens to participate in a public opinion poll to assist SQAC in making its final recommendation to the Governor.