The St. Kitts and Nevis flag was the winning entry in a local competition that attracted 258 entries and was the work of a student, Edrice Lewis. The island of Nevis has its own flag which is bright yellow with a stylized image of Nevis Peak.

The two stars stand for hope and liberty and the black symbolizes the African heritage of a major part of the population. The green represents the fertility of the land and the yellow stands for sunshine. The red symbolizes the struggle to end slavery and colonialism.