The Canadian territory of Northwest Territories first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1941. In 1970, to celebrate the centennial of the territory, a polar bear-shaped plate was introduced. The bear shaped plate is now a registered trademark of the Northwest Territories government.[1] That basic shape has been retained ever since, and in 1999 when the territory of Nunavut was created from part of the territory, that new jurisdiction adopted a virtually identical plate.
| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | black on reflective orange | Canada's Northland | 1-234 12-345 (following exhaustion of previous format) |
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| 1970 | bear-shaped; white on blue | Centennial | Awarded inaugural "Plate of the Year" for best new licence plate of 1970 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. | ||||
| 1971 | bear-shaped; blue on white | ||||||
| 1972 | bear-shaped; white on blue | ||||||
| 1973 | bear-shaped; dark blue on white with yellow slogan, date, and border | RCMP Centennial | |||||
| 1974 | bear-shaped; red on white | ||||||
| 1975 | bear-shaped; turquoise on white | ||||||
| 1977 | bear-shaped; red on white | ||||||
| 1979 | bear-shaped; turquoise on white | ||||||
| 1981 | bear-shaped; red on white | ||||||
| 1983 | bear-shaped; blue on white | ||||||
| 1986 | bear-shaped; blue on white | Explore Canada's Arctic | 1234 12345 (following exhaustion of previous format) |
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| 2010 | bear-shaped; nature scene | Spectacular |
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