On May 6, Posti will publish the long-awaited stamp series featuring pictures of barns taken by readers of Kantri magazine. The EUROPA stamp honors environmental values. Send your summer greetings with images illustrating a holiday in the city. The EUR 0.50 additional value stamp was designed by Erik Bruun.
The winners of the barn picture contest organized by the monthly supplement Kantri of Maaseudun Tulevaisuus and by Posti will be featured in the stamp booklet. The barn contest enjoyed enormous success, and over 4,300 pictures were submitted. The subject matter was Finnish barns, increasingly left unused after the changes to the agricultural industry.
The winning pictures were selected by a jury consisting of representatives from the organizer and the graphic industry. Several publications could have been filled with the contest's yield of stunning images. The booklet of five 1st class stamps consists of natural and realistic pictures that work well together.
The stamps were designed by graphic designer Satu Lusa. She was also behind the stamp series called Suomen kaunein huussi ("Finland's prettiest outhouse") which was compiled of images from the contest organized by Ilta-Sanomat. The submission time for the barn contest images was from May to July 2015.
Maximum cards will be published alongside the stamps.
Barns:
Tobias Tommila, Pirkkala. Picture taken in: Lempäälä
Risto Sihvola, Kouvola. Picture taken in: Northern Ostrobothnia
Jarmo Raudaskoski, Ainastalo. Picture taken in: Nivala, Kalajokilaakso cultural landscape area
Tarja Paulavirta, Muhos. Picture taken in: Muhos
Päivi Kivelä, Himanka. Picture taken in: Kärkinen, Kalajoki
The birds living next to the steps of his house in Suomenlinna inspired Erik Bruun to come up with the subject of the stamp. The feather of a mallard illustrates the EUR 0.50 Sulka additional value stamp. Bruun was also behind the previous EUR 0.50 stamp featuring a swan.
"The idea for my stamp is based on an over 100-year-old tradition. An express letter was marked with a feather attached to the corner of the envelope with sealing wax. Back then, that was the mark of express mail," says Bruun.
Five colorful 1st class no-value indicator stamps depict the joys of summer. The traditional market stall and the lively skater present the diversity of the urban culture. Of course, the stamps also feature the beach, but the effect of weather on the happy days of Finnish summer cannot be avoided.
"City dwellers running for cover in sudden rain was a very suitable image for describing the surprising nature of weather in summer," says Eili-Kaija Kuusniemi, the designer of the stamps. "For me, the most personal image would be summery feet in sandals. The feeling after you've used all your tricks and nail polish to make your feet ready for summer!"
Works of the well-known graphic designer and illustrator have been seen on both Finnish products and large foreign brands. The customers of Kuusniemi include Posti, Fazer, Arla, and Elle Magazine.
The theme of the 2015 EUROPA stamps is environmentalism in Europe-"Think Green". The bicycle image of Cypriot Doxia Sergidou, the winner of a design contest organized in 2015, is reflected in the EUROPA stamps of European postal services. Stamp designer Timo Berry selected a bright green background for the Finnish 10-piece 1st class no-value indicator stamp sheet and created a Priority label with a bird motif.
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti's online shop.
