PostEurop is proud to present the best of the EUROPA Stamp Design Competition for this year and launch the public online voting competition on Europe Day. This year's EUROPA theme "Old Toys" takes us on a trip down memory lane.
In a digital growing world, it is becoming more common for children to grow up playing video games and watching television. This year's EUROPA competition theme brought back many nostalgic memories on the toys which played a role for many Europeans growing up. The classical teddy bear, toy cars or rag dolls are favourites amongst children; some were even handcrafted toys and authentic pieces of art which inspired many children's imagination and creativity. These old toys are often shared with other children and also helped them bond and connect with each other. To sum this nostalgia we look upon the words of Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa that states -“When I remember these toys I had as a boy growing up, a sensation of tears warms my eyes…”
So, philatelic designers delved into a part of Europe's history between the 30's and the 80's, to work on their country's interpretive designs and create the artworks that we here on display. As in previous years some postal operators continue to use Innovative technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and QR Codes to bring these old toys back to life.
"I remember a time when handcrafted toys made us interact with other children and some developed our imagination with endless playing possibilities. Looking at the wonderful entries we have received this year, it is interesting to appreciate the variety of toys and note the similarities in which some countries had a portrayed the same toy. This shows how despite having different customs, our roots are quite equal." concluded Anita Hägblomm, Chair of the PostEurop Stamps and Philately working group from Posten Ǻland.
View and Vote for Your Favourite EUROPA Stamp Today
We invite you to view all the beautiful entries and vote for your favourite stamp on www.posteurop.org/europa2015. The online competition will end on 31 August 2015 and the winning stamps will be announced at the PostEurop Plenary Assembly to be held on 14 October 2015 in Cyprus.
More about EUROPA Stamps
Since 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a symbol of Europe’s desire for closer integration and co-operation. These special stamps are issued by the European postal administrations/enterprises and bears the EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark. Since 1993, PostEurop has been the responsible organisation for issuing EUROPA stamps and each year, philately experts within the Philately working group organize the competition amongst other philately initiatives. See more information on www.posteurop.org/europa
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For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Wee
Communications Manager
T: +2 2 773 11 92
POSTEUROP is the association which represents European public postal operators. It is committed to supporting and developing a sustainable European postal communication market accessible to all customers and ensuring a modern and affordable universal service. Our Members represent 2 million employees across Europe and deliver to 800 million customers daily through over 175,000 counters.
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