PostEurop announces the winners of the 2024 EUROPA Stamps Competition celebrating “Underwater Fauna & Flora”
PostEurop is proud to announce La Poste France, PHILAPOSTE (first place), La Poste Monaco (second place), and Azerpost (third place) as the winners of the 2024 EUROPA Stamps competition, which focused on the captivating theme of “Underwater Fauna & Flora.” Philaposte’s winning stamp featured a vibrant portrayal of the delicate coral reef ecosystem, La Poste Monaco’s stamp depicted a beautiful octopus, and Azerbaijan’s design showcased the graceful beauty of the endangered blue whale.
This year’s competition saw 57 entries, each presenting unique artistic interpretations of Europe’s rich marine biodiversity. By shedding light on the underwater world, this EUROPA stamp motif tried to emphasise the importance of preserving fragile marine ecosystems, which are vital to the planet’s overall health and sustainability.
The winners of this year’s EUROPA Stamp competition were revealed during the gala dinner event, in line with the PostEurop General Assembly, which took place in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. The entries from France, Monaco, and Azerbaijan were then revealed to the audience as the top three finalists, taking home the much-desired trophies. As in previous editions which placed mother nature in its spotlight, this EUROPA stamp theme showcased the diversity and beauty of underwater species, urging philatelists, collectors and enthusiasts from the general public to recognise the urgent need to protect marine habitats from ongoing threats such as pollution, industrial-fishing and climate change.
We would also like to mention that the Dutch Underwater Federation (Nederlandse Onderwatersport Bond) awarded a special diploma to a stamp from Česká pošta, selecting it as their favourite. Regarding the stamp, the NOB said:” This stamp represents the variety of all the flora and fauna there is in the waters. The similarity between all the creatures visible on the stamp and the ones that exist in the Dutch waters, is big. Besides that, the stamp itself is full of detail of all the different plants, fish, reptiles and invertebrates shown on the stamp.”
“This year’s ‘Most beautiful EUROPA stamps’ competition, centered around the theme of ‘Underwater Fauna & Flora,’ has been a remarkable celebration of the beauty and diversity found beneath European waters. The entries depicted not only artistic brilliance but also raised awareness about the environmental challenges facing our oceans. Postal Operators have once again demonstrated their creativity and commitment to using stamps as a powerful medium for storytelling and conservation. I would like to congratulate all the participants and especially the winners for their outstanding contributions,” said Agnieszka Trząskowska, Chair of the PostEurop Stamps and Philately working group from Poczta Polska S.A..
PostEurop Secretary General, Botond Szebeny, who acted as president for the expert jury vote, also added, “It is inspiring to see how the EUROPA Stamps Competition continues to evolve, bringing together innovation and tradition. The 2024 competition has successfully highlighted the importance of marine conservation and reminded us all of the role we play in safeguarding our planet’s ecosystems. These stamps not only serve as works of art but as important educational tools for current and future generations.”
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2024 EUROPA Stamps competition! PostEurop would also like to take this opportunity to invite all Members to the 2025 PostEurop Philatelic Forum in Aland, where we will continue to celebrate the power of stamps in connecting people and cultures across Europe.
More about EUROPA Stamps
Since 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a symbol of Europe’s desire for closer integration and cooperation. These special stamps are issued by the European postal administrations/enterprises and bear 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 Stamps and Philately working group organise the competition amongst other philately initiatives.
See more information on www.europastamps.eu
About PostEurop
PostEurop represents 55 postal operators in 53 countries and territories around Europe and handles 60 billion items each year. The industry employs 2 million people, manages 258 million delivery points and accounts for 1% of the GDP. www.posteurop.org
For more information, please contact:
Cynthia Wee Neumann
Communications Manager
T: +32 2 773 11 92
E: cynthia.wee@posteurop.org
André Feio
Communications Specialist
T: +32 2 773 11 54
andre.feio@posteurop.org