Winners of ASEAN Stamp Design Contest Unveiled To Symbolize the Unity of ASEAN Community

BANGKOK, 16 February 2015- Thailand Post Company Limited joins with the post of all nine ASEAN countries to build a new history and prepare for the ASEAN Community with the ASEAN stamp and postmark design competition to search for the best one to be produced as a joint issue stamp and postmark among the ASEAN countries. The stamp will be officially issued on August 8, 2015 in each Member State to celebrate the 48th anniversary of ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations). The result of the final round of the competition was announced at the Grand Postal Building, Bangkok and presided by Mr. Pornchai Rujiprapa, Thailand's Minister of Information and Communication Technology.

Mr. Piyawat Mahapauraya, Senior Executive Vice President and Acting President of Thailand Post Company Limited, says that Thailand Post and the other nine postal administrations in ASEAN member countries are building a new history with an announcement of the final round design contest of the Joint Issue of ASEAN Community Commemorative Stamp. The winner's design will be produced as a joint issue stamp to be used throughout the ASEAN region in 2015. The chosen designs from ten countries total 55, comprising 30 stamps and 25 postmarks. One winner each for stamp and postmark designs were selected by ten judges who are postal representatives from ten countries and three judges from neutral organs, namely Universal Postal Union (UPU), Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) and ASEAN Secretariat.

The competition result announcement for both categories is made by the representative from ASEAN Secretariat, the competition's chairperson. The stamp winner will receive US$ 1,000 and the postmark winner will receive US$ 500. Their designs will be produced as the stamp and postmark for all the ASEAN countries to reflect the unity of the ASEAN Community according to the motto of the ASEAN, "One Vision, One Identity, One Community". Stamp composition and denomination depend on each postal regulation.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hoc, Deputy Director Department of Post, Ministry of Information and Communication, said that it was an honor for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to accept the first prize for both categories in ASEAN Stamp Design Contest. The winning postage stamp and postmark designs that convey the idea of ASEAN's unity will be produced as a joint issue stamp and postmark among the ASEAN countries. On the postmark, the ASEAN emblem is noticed in the middle of the design and it is circled by 3 meaning lines which stand for 3 pillars strengthening the political stability, economic stability as well as social and cultural ties in ASEAN community. The stamp will be issued on August 8, 2015 celebrating the 48th anniversary of ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations). The postage stamp represents the 10 flags of ASEAN members unified in a form of flower. In the background, the pigeon symbol was drawn to show the pacific aspect of the region. On a lower level of the flags, there is a handshake which portrays the friendship and the golden rice flowers which refers to the agricultural activities, the main ASEAN way of life. Nevertheless, this contest will develop ASEAN's unity and cooperation. This region will prosper in every aspects such as education, tourism and economic development.

The stamp will be officially issued in each member country on August 8, 2015 in order to celebrate the 48th anniversary of ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations).