Marks the international 2012 theme, "Visit…..", with a set of two stamps showing the stunning view of the Grand Harbour taken from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta.
MaltaPost will this year participate in the EUROPA competition with a set of two stamps, valued at €0.37 and €1.19. The stamps are competing against all of the other PostEurop members as part of this year's EUROPA theme "Visit.....", which aims to encourage public awareness of some of Europe's most picturesque areas of cultural and historic importance, as well as to highlight common European roots and objectives. The contest is an annual online event where creative entries from across Europe compete for the best design.
Malta will be participating with stamps showing the stunning view of the Grand Harbour, taken from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta.
"The Philatelic Bureau of MaltaPost chose to highlight the Grand Harbour because it is an area of significant historical and geographical importance for Islands," explains Joseph Gafá, CEO at MaltaPost plc. "We believe it will instantly show foreigners Malta's unique historical landscape and encourage them to learn more."
The chosen panoramic picture, which is taken from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, highlights the unobstructed views of the historic Three Cities opposite, with Fort St Angelo in the centre. The photograph also shows a portion of the Gardens' Saluting Battery, which forms part of Valletta's old fortifications built in 1566 by the Knights of St John, a year after the Great Siege.
"Now all that's left is for the general public to pick their favourite from the collection online," adds Mr Gafá. "May the best stamp win!"
The best EUROPA stamp will be voted for by web viewers and PostEurop members, and you can participate online at www.posteurop.org/europacompetition. Voting will be open until 10 June 2012, and the winning stamp will be announced at the PostEurop Philatelic Forum on 13 June 2012 in Paris.
The set 'EUROPA 2012 - Visit Malta' was designed by Sean Cini and will be issued on 9th May 2012 as a pair of se-tenant stamps with values of €0.37 and €1.19. They measure 88.0mm x 31.0mm, with perforation of 13.9 x 14.0 (comb.). The stamp has been offset with the watermark of the Maltese Cross and was printed by Printex Ltd.
The set will be available as from Wednesday 9th May. Orders may be placed online at www.maltaphilately.com or by mail from the Philatelic Bureau, MaltaPost p.l.c. 305, Triq Ħal Qormi, Marsa, MTP 1001 - Telephone 2596 1740 - e-mail: info@maltaphilately.com
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