Posti will issue three new stamp publications with a total of seven different stamp designs on May 6. ”We will issue a Europe-wide stamp that won the stamp design competition. The Pride stamp will celebrate equality and human rights, and the springtime congratulatory stamps will feature surprising floral arrangements,” says Tommi Kantola, who is responsible for the selection of the artists and for providing guidance on the artistic work for the stamps at Posti.
The May stamps will be available in Posti’s online store from Sunday, May 3.
The Europe-wide stamp was designed by Klaus Welp
PostEurop, which turns 70 this year, is an association of European mail operators with 53 postal administrations as members. Every year, the member countries of PostEurop have issued EUROPA stamps with different themes. To celebrate the anniversary year, a design competition was held to find a Europe-wide stamp design with the theme ”United in”. All of the postal administrations of PostEurop participated in the voting, and Finland won with a stamp designed by 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. The background reflects a joyful mix of colors from the European flags and symbolizes the unity of the member countries,” says Tommi Kantola, Design Manager at Posti.
"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 Europa United in domestic no-value indicator stamp will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet.
Pride stamp for equality and human rights
To celebrate Pride, Posti will issue a stamp designed by Eero Lampinen, featuring a colorful group marching in the colors of the rainbow flag.
"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.
”I wanted the Pride stamp to reflect the idea that, despite our differences, we are marching towards the common goal of being seen and understood. The psychedelic style of the illustration refers to the countercultures of the 1960s and the first Pride parades in the early 1970s,” Eero Lampinen says.
For Lampinen, Pride represents the freedom to live and think outside of norms. ”Pride does not only encourage people to tolerate diversity, it also celebrates it. Pride is also a tribute to those who have fought for our rights.”
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.
The Pride domestic no-value indicator stamp will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet.
Floral arrangements that reflect the shapes of birds
This year’s springtime congratulatory stamps feature flowers illustrated by Anna Emilia Laitinen with bird shapes in their arrangements.
”At first, I loosely sketched the pictures with a thick black felt-tip pen. Sketching flowers and birds with a pen is the continuation of one long line, a bit like writing in cursive. After I found the right sketches, I continued this cursive writing with brushstrokes and watercolors. The final implementation was done through a scanner and a computer,” says Laitinen.
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.”
Happy Flowers is a 10-stamp sheet containing five different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
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. Welcome!
Images of the new stamps: https://digilibrary.emmi.fi/l/CqWP2NjnWj6v
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti’s online shop: https://shop.posti.fi/en