GIVE YORKSHIRE ITS WHITE ROSE EMOJI — #WhiteRoseEmoji

 To: The Unicode Consortium, Mountain View, California

Yorkshire is one of the most recognised regional identities on the planet. Millions of proud Yorkshire folk live across the world. It is the largest historic county in England, home to the oldest dialect society in the world, and heir to a language, literature and history stretching back centuries that incorporates Celts, Britons, Ango-Saxons, 'Vikings', the Normans (ooof)... and many more influences that shaped our dialect and identity.

And yet Yorkshire has no emoji. Nowt. Nowt at all!

Yorkshire folk have been calling for a Yorkshire emoji online for the last decade ... it's been ignored. And it's time Mighty Yorkshire was listened to.

We are calling on the Unicode Consortium - the international body that approves all new emojis for use across every device on the planet - to give Yorkshire its White Rose emoji. 🤍💙🤍💛

Why the White Rose?

The White Rose of Yorkshire is far more than just a pretty flower. Its roots stretch deep into medieval England - worn by soldiers at the Battle of Minden in 1759 to honour their fallen comrades. It was adopted as a symbol of peace, pride and remembrance, and today has been recognised in a University of Hull survey as the single most meaningful symbol of Yorkshire identity!

The white rose on a blue background flies on the official Yorkshire flag. This flag was registered by the UK Flag Institute in 2008, so it can be legally displayed on any occasion. It is the badge of the Yorkshire Regiment and it is worn, and flown, proudly on Yorkshire Day, 1st August, by Yorkshire people everywhere and is always proudly displayed within communities who adore Yorkshire - whatever their background or origins.

The Unicode Consortium has approved emojis following community campaigns before. For example, a teenage girl campaigned for the hijab emoji and won her petition. Taco Bell campaigned for a taco emoji and ... achieved a taco. Yorkshire - with centuries of history, millions of people worldwide proud to call themselves Yorkshire, and a living, thriving dialect  - not just an accent but a DIALECT/LANGUAGE - that is passing itself on to a whole new generation  has an exceptionally strong case for emoji recognition.

Why now?

This campaign is proudly backed by the Yorkshire Dialect Society. They are the oldest dialect society in the UK and it is being driven by members ranging from their nineties to their teens. This is because Yorkshire dialect, Yorkshire heritage and Yorkshire identity belong to everyone, regardless of birth and even where they live now.

We want this emoji in time for Yorkshire Day 2026 - 1st August - so that Yorkshire people everywhere finally have a symbol the whole world can use.

Sign this petition to show the Unicode Consortium that the demand is real, the identity is real, and Yorkshire is ready.

NAR THEN. Let's mek a reight racket abaht this! 💙🤍💛

#WhiteRoseEmoji #Yorkshire #YorkshireProud #YorkshireDialect #YorkshireDialectSociety #PastTruisms

With thanks to Colin Speakman, author and Yorkshire Bylines contributor, for his historical research and advice for this campaign