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The 21-foot flamingo sculpture at Tampa International Airport will soon have a name. A month and more than 65,000 entries after the airport launched the competition, the three finalists have been chosen. Now it’s up to the public to vote.
Does the pink resin and fiberglass behemoth look more like a Cora, Finn or Phoebe? The public can select their favorite by visiting the competition website, nametheflamingo.comwhere the three choices can be found next to who submitted them and why.
- Kora“Because the official name of the artwork is ‘Home’, we can expand on that and consider the phrase ‘Home is Where the Heart is’. Cora is short for Corazon, which translates to heart in Spanish,” wrote Glorianne P.
- Finnish“Finn the flamingo has the perfect ring. Every time I see a flamingo, it looks like it has flippers on its feet that it forgot to take off. It always makes me laugh,” Braxton W wrote.
- Phoebe“A play about Phoenicopterus — the scientific name for the flamingo. “Phoebe” is also a playful alliteration of the flamingo and means brilliantly curious. The overall ‘Home’ sculpture is literally brilliant and reveals the curiosity of the flamingo as it hunts for food in shallow waters,” wrote James M.
The object of endless selfies since its arrival this summer, the bird has become a popular mascot for travelers passing through the airport’s main terminal.
The airport announcement a naming contest last month. Artist Matthew Mazzotta gave his sculpture a title when he unveiled the jumbo creation. The piece, commissioned for $520,000, is called “Home”. According to a press release issued by the airport, Mazzotta and the airport agreed that the character himself could use a nickname.
The three finalists did not dazzle everyone.
“I’m embarrassed for my city that these are the final three,” wrote Whitney Holtzman, a Tampa native who runs a marketing and social media consulting firm, in response to the airport’s Twitter post announcing the finalists.
“Really? Very disappointed with these selections and I must not be the only one,” another Twitter user wrote.
In addition to bragging rights, the name contest grand prize includes:
- Four non-stop return tickets for the winner and three companions on Silver Airways.
- A VIP experience package at Busch Gardens, which includes four one-day admission tickets, four restaurant passes, four Quick Queue Unlimited passes and preferred parking.
- A chance to mingle with the celebrity at a revealing event.
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