Posti releases a Pride stamp – celebrating equality and human rights
Posti will release a Pride stamp on Wednesday, 6 May. Designed by Eero Lampinen, the stamp features a diverse group marching in the colours of the rainbow flag. The stamp celebrates equality and human rights.
"For Posti, the Pride stamp is a way to make the message of equality and human rights visible in everyday life. We want to be part of building a society where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong," says Anna Storm, Posti’s VP, Stakeholder Relations and Director of Sustainability.
”Pride does not only encourage people to tolerate diversity, it also celebrates it. Despite our differences, we march toward a shared goal of being seen and understood. Pride is also a tribute to those who have fought for our rights,” Eero Lampinen says.
The 38-year-old illustrator has always been interested in marginal characters and phenomena, and the invitation to design a Pride-themed stamp felt inspiring to him. What was new to him was the stamp’s small size.
”It was a new kind of challenge to fit the entire spectrum of sexual and gender minorities into a small stamp. The image also had to be clear and easy to interpret.”
The characters marching in the stamp form the colors of the rainbow flag. The style is psychedelic, and Lampinen was inspired by the 1960s and 1970s. The first Pride parades took place in the United States in the early 1970s.
”I enjoyed drawing the different human characters and their details. They include references to Tom of Finland, one of the icons of the history of sexual and gender minorities in Finland, and drag queens, for example. Shoes play a big role, because I want to emphasize putting yourself in someone else's shoes. In the current global situation, it would be important to understand other people’s experiences and perspectives.”
Posti has been a partner of the Helsinki Pride community since 2018 and will also support Manse Pride in 2026. The aim of the partnership is to promote equality and human rights.
Stamps also for Europe and spring greetings
On 6 May, a stamp shared by postal operators across Europe will also be released. The EUROPA stamp was designed by Klaus Welp, whose entry won Europa-wide stamp design competition.
"In today’s turbulent world, there is an increasing need for peace, unity, and a strong community spirit in Europe. A well-functioning postal service is a fundamental pillar for democracies, providing security for citizens. It's great that the winning stamp will be printed and published with its own country codes throughout Europe,” says Klaus Welp.
“The winning EUROPA stamps feature abstract and symbolic elements. The seven dots, connected by straight lines, symbolize seventy years of unified effort by postal operators across the continent,” says Tommi Kantola, Design Manager, responsible for the selection of the artists and for providing guidance on the artistic work for the stamps at Posti.
This year’s springtime congratulatory stamps feature flowers illustrated by Anna Emilia Laitinen with bird shapes in their arrangements. According to Laitinen, the stamps are a splash of spring color.
”They reflect the moment at the beginning of summer when everything happens at once in nature and you just wish that the rest of the summer would be like this. They convey the first wag of a white wagtail's tail or the song of a chaffinch. They exude the scent of birch and twinflowers and the first warm summer breeze. I hope that the stamps convey the mysterious nature of summer, which can be captured for life in a letter or card you send,” says Anna Emilia Laitinen.
First-day event at Helsinki Main Post Office on May 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The first day event for the May stamps will be held on Wednesday, May 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Helsinki Main Post Office (Elielinaukio 2 F, 00100 Helsinki).
New stamps, first day covers and other stamp products will be sold at the event, and visitors can get first day postmarks on their items. The stamp artists will be present to sign their works from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The May stamps will be available in Posti’s online store from Sunday, May 3.
Posti’s online shop: https://shop.posti.fi/en
Images of the new stamps: https://digilibrary.emmi.fi/l/CqWP2NjnWj6v
Images of Eero Lampinen: https://digilibrary.emmi.fi/l/tBMLdVMq96f
Article about Eero Lampinen: https://www.posti.fi/en/private/articles-and-blogs/stamps_pride_eerolampinen
More detailed press release about the stamps: In May, Posti will issue stamps for Europe, Pride and springtime congratulations
For further information, please contact: Posti MediaDesk, tel. +358 (0)20 452 3366 (Mon–Fri 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Posti is one of the leading delivery and logistics companies in Finland, Sweden, and the Baltics. We make daily life easier for our customers with a wide range of services, including parcel, freight, and postal services as well as fulfillment, handling, and logistics services. Our aim is to achieve fossil-free transport by 2030 and net-zero by 2040. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 1,447.6 million, and the total number of our personnel is approximately 13,700. Posti Group's shares are publicly listed on the main list of Nasdaq Helsinki in Finland. www.posti.com/en