Royal Mail announces Christmas stamp design competition for children

By Denise McCarty

Royal Mail, the postal service of Great Britain, is inviting schoolchildren to design two of its Christmas stamps for this year.

This will be Royal Mail’s fourth Christmas stamp design competition for children. The first was in 1966 for Great Britain’s first Christmas stamps (Scott 478-479), followed by contests in 1981 (960-964) and 2013 (3246-3247). 

Like the 2013 contest, the new contest has the theme “What does the Christmas season mean to you?” 

The competition is open to schoolchildren in the United Kingdom from ages 4 to 11. Entries must be submitted by March 17.

A panel of judges will select two winners from 120 regional finalists. Also, both winning designs will have to be approved by Queen Elizabeth II, as is the custom with all British stamps.

The winners will be announced sometime this summer.

The two designs will be reproduced on the nondenominated first-class and second-class Christmas stamps to be issued Nov. 7. 

Stephen Agar, Royal Mail’s managing director of consumer and network access, said: “Royal Mail is delighted to give two UK schoolchildren the chance to design an official Royal Mail Christmas stamp and see their winning designs adorn millions of items of mail over the festive season. Our winners will join a list of some of the most talented designers in the world to have designed a Royal Mail Christmas stamp.”

Full details about the contest can be found here.