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| 2020 EUROPA Stamps Competition |
The theme of 2020's competition is "Ancient Postal Routes." Predictably, almost all the stamps feature historic maps and/or historic mail couriers. On the one hand, the fact that Israel is not a member of PostEurop means this blog does not have a proverbial horse in the race and is not biased in favor of or against any of the participating stamps. On the other hand, the fact that the author of this blog is an animal rights proponent means that the use of horses in the service of mail delivery raises a moral dilemma and does potentially bias the blog against many of the stamps. To avoid a situation where literally half of the stamps -- 24 feature horses, 1 features reindeer -- are disqualified from competing, an effort was made to judge Round One from the perspective of an omnivore, i.e. in disregard of the stamps' moral implications vis-a-vis treatment of horses.
19 May 2020 update: When this analysis was first published, there were fifty stamps in the EUROPA competition. That number has since grown; and according to Niall Murphy, President of the International Moldovan Philatelic Society, it will continue to increase in the weeks ahead. How can that be? A peculiar feature of the competition, which PostEurop neglects to mention on its website, is that new stamps get added to the pool of contenders even after the voting process is initiated on May 9th. Murphy notes that although the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in numerous countries having yet to issue their EUROPA stamps due to operational disruptions, PostEurop has not modified its rules to accommodate the crisis in any way. "Traditionally, the organizers of this contest, PostEurop, launch on Europe Day (May 9). This year, the same date has been selected, regardless of the difficulties imposed by various COVID-19 restrictions in the member countries. Many countries (including Moldova) have delayed the issuance of their postage stamps until later in the year and thus are absent from the list of participants on the launch date of this contest. If these countries issue their Europa stamps before the end of the contest (September 9), then they will be appended to the list. If not, then they are excluded."
Notes:
1. Using a scale of 0-10 as defined below, the following results were obtained in Round One: 17 stamps (34%) scored between 0 and 3; 22 stamps (44%) scored between 4 and 7; 11 stamps (22%) scored between 8 and 10.
2. It seems unfair that some countries get to enter multiple stamps into the competition. Portugal, for example, has three, because each stamp is issued by a different postal operator.
3. Stylized fonts make a world of difference. Too many designers overlook the contribution a pretty font makes to a design's appeal. The same is true of decorative borders, albeit to a lesser extent.
METHODOLOGY
Round One (15 May 2020)
• 0-2 points awarded for storyline. Is there a story? Is it interesting? Does it relate to the theme? Does it adequately explain the content of the stamp?
• 0-8 points awarded for design. Is the design appealing? Does it demonstrate creativity? Does it relate to the theme? Is it memorable?
Round Two (17 May 2020)
• Stamps that scored 8 and above in Round One advance to Round Two. At this stage, however, those featuring horses as transportation are eliminated from the race.
• The remaining stamps are reevaluated such that only three proceed to the final round.
Round Three (19 May 2020)
• The top three stamps from Round Two battle it out for places 1 through 3, and the winner earns Israel Stamp Reviews' vote at the PostEurop website.
ROUND ONE (15 May 2020)
1. [3/10] Åland
• Story (2/2): exciting story of postal boat race held every June
• Design (1/8): generic-looking, unmemorable photo; significance impossible to infer without context
2. [0/10] Andorra Sp
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (0/8): amateurish design; ugly fonts
3. [4/10] Andorra Fr
• Story (2/2): detailed history of Andorra-L'Hospitalet postal route
• Design (2/8): nice border around map and classic compass, but otherwise plain due to lack of icons other than mountains
4. [9/10] Armenia
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| Armenia 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): beautiful design and use of colors; scene conveys depth, density, temporal mood; observer is drawn in and made to feel like one of the figures in the street
5. [0/10] Austria
• Story (0/2): no explanation of what Palais Fugger Innsbruck is
• Design (0/8): grainy image; dull colors
6. [8/10] Azerbaijan
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| Azerbaijan 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): brilliant design with the horse's legs tracing the buildings' outline, although the rider's sock should not have been colored the same black as the horse
7. [10/10] Belarus
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| Belarus 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): stunning design; foregrounded messenger in elaborate red, green and gold costume with accessories; background map with medieval castle symbols; dotted route from corner to corner makes clever use of stamp's verticality; pretty fonts
8. [3/10] Belgium
• Story (1/2): references map of postal route, but no explanation; official badge worn by Belgian postman; stamp design specs
• Design (2/8): embossed stamp; in isolation from the minisheet the image is not compelling and looks like a brochure cover
9. [5/10] Bosnia-Herzegovina Hr
• Story (1/2): story would have been better if the monastery the coin is in were on a postal route rather than a military route
• Design (4/8): horizontal split and contrast of black and white backgrounds are effective at conveying the parallel between the two horse-drawn carriage images; scroll should have been partially unrolled to reveal its content; a miniature map instead of or as a background to the vertically stacked list of localities would have made the design more memorable
10. [1/10] Bosnia-Herzegovina Sr
• Story (0/2): basically no story
• Design (1/8): zero creativity; solid red numbers and rider on horse feel completely foreign as though tacked on as an afterthought; parchment-like map border is design's only redeeming quality
11. [7/10] Croatia
• Story (0/2): no story, only stamp design specs
• Design (7/8): mountain scene; stagecoach at foot of mountain with rider blowing horn; somber colors; captures essential quality of the period
12. [7/10] Cyprus
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (7/8): map of Cypriot postal routes (?) with icons presumably indicating modes of postal transportation; cheerfully illustrated; saturation of blue combines pleasantly with off-white and orange; has a tourist-map feel; pretty fonts
13. [1/10] Czech Republic
• Story (1/2): colors are postal colors; history of mail from royal communication to postal service under Habsburgs; no route
• Design (0/8): horse recoiling in horror being whipped is painful to look at and ruins an otherwise pretty drawing
14. [6/10] Denmark
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (6/8): drawing of historic Copenhagen as though viewed from a nearby mountain; captures distinct architectural features; rooftop colors dominate; conveys importance of maritime culture; horizontal stamp would have been more effective
15. [5/10] Estonia
• Story (1/2): historic Tartu-Võru road and tavern, but key details are missing
• Design (4/8): modern, vibrantly colored trail marker contrasts with old, black-and-white scene of dirt road and tavern
16. [7/10] Faroe Islands
• Story (2/2): exciting postal survival story; explanation of map
• Design (5/8): vertically split horizontal stamp; map is ok; right-side drawing is compelling and memorable, if cartoonish
17. [5/10] Finland
• Story (2/2): Santa Claus as ancient postman is a fun twist
• Design (3/8): horn and aurora are a nice touch but not much else to appreciate
18. [7/10] France
• Story (2/2): explanation of map; detailed and pertinent story of new kind of mail coach
• Design (5/8): pretty drawing overlaying map suggests distance traveled by carriage; simple and effective use of red and black to foreground closest horse and spotlight the carriage; something is nonetheless missing to make the image more memorable
19. [5/10] Germany
• Story (0/2): story is too general
• Design (5/8): horizontal orientation of stamp complements motion of galloping horse, as do the horn suspended in air, the rider's feather, and the horse's tail and mane spikes; medieval castles and rider's beard convey period; perfectly drawn lines and angles and lack of color gradation undermine the medieval mood
20. [5/10] Greece
• Story (2/2): history of wheeled steamer used for postal service between Piraeus and island of Syros
• Design (3/8): blue of flag and pennants is too vibrant against muted colors of sails, hull, sea, and mountains; nice drawing of ship but not much else
21. [6/10] Guernsey
• Story (1/2): the Ariadne, its history and its route (stamp indicates Ariadne was mail ship)
• Design (5/8): pretty scene of ship in sea with black steam rising from smokestack
22. [3/10] Hungary
• Story (2/2): butchers would double as mailmen
• Design (1/8): colors don't work well together; design feels cluttered or poorly balanced; imagery is violent
23. [5/10] Iceland
• Story (2/2): enthusiastically written history of Icelandic postal history going back to 1776, and challenges postmen had to overcome owing to Iceland's terrain and climate
• Design (3/8): plain map; stamp's face value is too large and shouldn't be in dead center; background manuscript and colors are pretty
24. [8/10] Isle of Man
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| Isle of Man 2020 "The Landing at Plymouth Rock" stamp |
• Design (8/8): flawless drawing; rich detail; conveys themes of gallantry, intimacy and formality, microcosm of order and human spirit surrounded by arbitrariness of nature; classic compass; pretty font
25. [5/10] Jersey
• Story (1/2): no postal route; was Cygnus a mail ship, passenger boat, or both?
• Design (4/8): drawing is somewhat crude; choppy waves; trail of smoke and flapping flags convey motion and direction; sails fail to do the same
26. [0/10] Latvia
• Story (0/2): basically no story
• Design (0/8): horse's forelegs look crossed; rider's foot is too small; blurry road feels lazily drawn; background charriot feels haphazardly added
27. [2/10] Liechtenstein
• Story (2/2): pre-1826 delivery service and route
• Design (0/8): color scheme of gold on gray is awful; drawing technique works poorly on stamp
28. [1/10] Lithuania
• Story (1/2): post office visited by Balzac
• Design (0/8): two gray buildings surrounded by white void
29. [3/10] Luxembourg
• Story (1/2): why so skimpy on details?
• Design (2/8): map is nice background and uses pretty font; bottom looks sloppy and green is too bright; rider looks like a plastic toy
30. [5/10] Malta
• Story (2/2): information about ships and maritime routes involved in couriering mail
• Design (3/8): simple design; straightforward maritime postal routes; ship identified in story as l-Ixprunara; classic compass
31. [9/10] Monaco
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| Monaco 2020 "18th Century Mail Delivery" stamp |
• Design (8/8): beautiful design; rich in fine detail balanced by expansive breathing room; courier has magnificent crisp texture; intelligent use of color contrasts foreground from middleground in smooth and graceful fashion; middleground city on cliff offers much to appreciate without stealing attention from courier on trail; light blue and white of background sea and sky set mood without distracting
32. [1/10] Montenegro
• Story (0/2): nothing about ancient postal routes
• Design (1/8): looks like a hastily designed rough draft; map foregrounded by carving of wagon in rock, but everything is same color
33. [2/10] Netherlands
• Story (0/2): basically none
• Design (2/8): blue image of postman riding horse blowing horn with windmill in background has texture and definition; golden-brown shapes interfere and look like play and pause buttons; right-side image is too narrow to properly appreciate
34. [4/10] Norway
• Story (1/2): vague explanation of historic Vindhellavegen postal route
• Design (3/8): pretty view and colors of road winding down mountain; in isolation from minisheet ultimately nothing more than a photo
35. [10/10] Poland
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| Poland 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): beautiful design; evokes naive art style; vertical orientation makes map look like a cloth wall hanging; each figure is slightly different; postal routes emanating from river clearly indicated; village, moutain, forest, and ship icons have a cozy charm; pretty font
36. [3/10] Portugal
• Story (1/2): bare minimum of a story
• Design (2/8): manuscript with caligraphy and Portuguese coat of arms
37. [1/10] Portugal
• Story (1/2): bare minimum of a story
• Design (0/8): postcards and handstamps; zero creativity
38. [1/10] Portugal
• Story (1/2): bare minimum of a story
• Design (0/8): letters and mailbox
39. [10/10] Republic of Serbia
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| Serbia 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): rich imagery; blurred grooves on path support illusion of running, as do flailing straps from mail satchel; scene conveys postman's goal and determination to reach it; postman in local costume conveys unique cultural character; background details like river, boats, clouds, fields enhance scene's beauty; exquisite border around scene with mail pigeon, post horn and scroll pattern
40. [8/10] Romania
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| Romania 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (6/8): horse-drawn carriage being pushed up muddy dirt road as driver swings whip and possibly rain falling; above image of red seal; below map with postal routes; carriage scene is compelling and drawn with appealing texture; "România" in pretty font; red color steals too much attention
41. [10/10] Russian Federation
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| Russia 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (8/8): vertical map rendered as scroll; postal route clearly indicated; town scenes are represented in cheerful detail; scroll capitalizes on stamp's vertical orientation; cream off-white parchment color against silver-blue background is pleasant; pretty font above
42. [9/10] San Marino
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| San Marino 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" stamp |
• Design (7/8): we observe the cloaked postilion from behind en-route to distant mountain up ahead as he stops to take in the view; hint of a river flowing down the side of the mountain; soft greens and fuzzy edges suggest a watercolor painting; unfortunate that the road abruptly ends directly in front of the postilion; length and angle of shadow suggest sun should be in view over the mountain
43. [4/8] Slovak Republic
• Story (2/2): succinct history of Magna Via connecting Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine
• Design (2/8): lazy design; two riders on horse are identical images; red rider against map with red postal route is fitting, but white rider is not; map uses pretty font
44. [3/10] Slovenia
• Story (1/2): not much of a story
• Design (2/8): postilion on horse blowing horn; rider in elaborate costume; brown and gold on gray horse against faint background of village is effective application of color; stamp needs to convey more
45. [5/10] Spain
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (5/8): old map, dirt road, asphalt road, and new map constitute four quadrants of stamp's design; clever, original concept; pretty colors; end result feels lacking on account of too much of the stamp's surface area being taken up by monotonous road
46. [4/10] Sweden
• Story (1/2): not detailed and not interesting
• Design (3/8): see #44 Slovenia, although here the image looks less like a cartoon and more like an actual drawing with texture
47. [4/10] Switzerland
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (4/8): design has a distinctly digital feel; postal route looks like a subway map; in its own way, the stamp succeeds in being eccentric and unique; is the circle under the postman's mustache his mouth or a beard?
48. [7/10] Turkey
• Story (0/2): none
• Design (7/8): colorful map; blue-green sea background, cream parchment color middleground with edges the color of burnt toast, varicolored postal stops and couriers form the foreground; clear indication of postal route between major cities; each city represented by miniature scene, sometimes featuring local landmarks; not clear why the lines emerging from the compass go in the directions they do
49. [8/10] Ukraine
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| Ukraine 2020 "Postman Fedir Feketa" stamp |
• Design (6/8): distinctive design; legendary postman Fedir Feketa walking from sunup to sundown; Feketa shown cloaked with satchel and hiking staff; expressionless face; color gradation indicative of digital design; white space in middle feels wasted
50. [6/10] Vatican City
• Story (2/2): excellent explanation of ancient postal route, origin of stamp's image and historical importance
• Design (4/8): antique map; authentic illustration; clear indication of postal routes; pretty font; not enough going on
ROUND 2 (17 May 2020)
1.
2.
3. Belarus
4. Isle of Man
5. Monaco
6.
7. Republic of Serbia
8.
9.
10. San Marino
11. Ukraine
The rules of the blog are also that only three stamps advance to Round Three. This means the Isle of Man stamp, despite its terrific design -- its scene so compellingly conveyed that the viewer shares the pilgrims' sense of anticipation, feels himself swaying in their boat, and can smell the salt of the sea -- is out, on account of its questionable connection to the competition's theme of ancient postal routes. The Ukraine stamp's representation of Fedir Feketa directly relates to the theme, and the stamp's design is the kind that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer, but its case is weakened by two minor flaws: the vertical block of empty white space behind Feketa and the choice to represent a classical figure digitally.
That leaves Belarus, Monaco, Serbia, and San Marino. This is the stage where every minor flaw matters; and try as one might to find flaws in the stamps of Belarus and Monaco, they have none. Does Serbia's stamp bear too much resemblance to a children's book illustration? Could it be that the reason San Marino's stamp has no road through the valley is that the postilion is not on a road but on a small cliff? The appeal of Serbia's design is enhanced by the decorative border framing the image. The appeal of San Marino's design is enhanced by its spiritual mystique. The figure in Serbia's stamp is running, and running is a passion of this writer. But the figure in San Marino's stamp can be said to be on a journey of the soul, and that is also an experience to which this writer relates. Both, regrettably, went with plain fonts. In the end, the Serbian stamp's elaborate metallic border and San Marino's missing road give the edge to Serbia.
ROUND 3 (19 May 2020)
The Post of Serbia website provides a more detailed explanation of the stamp than what appears at PostEurop (minor edits for clarity and hyperlink):
Throughout history, any strong and well-organised country had a developed network for communications and transport. The Ottoman Empire, within which was Serbia, had a network consisting of tatars (post riders) with a large number of horses, menzulanas (relay stations), inns and caravanserais.
Apart from the tatars, public proclamations and orders were carried from the 17th century by pedestrian messengers -- sahiyas -- especially on shorter distances and in difficult terrains where pedestrians were quicker than horses. Sahiyas were hardy, lean people, armed, dressed appropriately, and wore jingle bells under the left knee as a sign of recognition. The jingling announced their arrival in a populated place, and the bells helped them keep the rhythm while striding.
In time, they also started to deliver private letters and small parcels for a fee, and passed the news on recent events, fairs, prices, contagions, and all that was relevant at the time for the daily life of the poeople.
After the Second Serbian Uprising, when it was necessary that the news be passed on foot, quickly, by relay stations and at shorter distances, Prince Miloš used his tatars. The tatars, sahiyas, and later postmen who travelled on coaches used the well-developed and established network of menzulanas over four main road routes (Belgrade-Radujevac, Belgrade-Aleksinac, Belgrade-Mokra Gora and Belgrade-Loznica). This network was organised on the Sava and the Danube, while ferries and boats, and, later, ships, comprised the important link in the swift and safe conveyance of mail.
Expert collaboration: Ljiljana Đorđević, Senior Custodian, PTT Museum, Belgrade.
Artistic realisation of the issue: Academic painter Boban Savić, MA.
2. Monaco -- 2nd place
Designed and line-engraved by Pierre Albuisson, Monaco's stamp is an unequivocal masterpiece. If this were an ordinary art competition, it would land the number-one spot, because the design begs to be framed and hanged on a wall. It offers three distinct layers of depth to focus on, it can be viewed again and again without losing its charm, and it plays elegantly into the EUROPA competition's theme. Its level of detail and texture is outstanding, and the scene immortalizes a moment, a perspective, a mission, and a time period.
AND THE WINNER IS...
Here are ten reasons why:
• Whereas Monaco's stamp would be perfect as a framed picture on a wall, the Belarus design is really best appreciated as a stamp.
• The Belarus design gets all the proportions right. If the messenger had been any larger or smaller, it would throw the design off balance. If the castles had been larger or smaller, or the flags, or the writing, or if the map had been darker or fainter, the stamp wouldn't have the perfect balance it has.
• The stylized font, in red and green like the messenger's uniform and the flags and vegetation, enhances the stamp's beauty.
• The map has texture by virtue of its surface features. The messenger is richly textured with subtle wrinkles in his face and clothing and a realistically imperfect outline giving him the shape of a physical person rather than of a computer-drawn image.
• The messenger is interestingly accessorized, with a post horn and satchel against one hip and a sword against the other.
• The castle icons and pennant flags accord with the stamp's overall mood.
• The postal route is clearly marked without spoiling the map's antique character.
• The stamp has an internal directional flow, beginning at the top left corner with the Cyrillic letter Р ("er"), then flowing right and down, and then flowing back up from the bottom left corner's Кракаў (Cracow) to the top right corner along the dotted postal route.
• The messenger has a serious facial expression and posture that suggests dedication and professionalism.
• His layers of clothing, gloves, hat, and thick robe evoke the harsh winters of Belarus. His mustache is similarly a reflection of classical Belarusian culture.
Design: Tatyana Kuznetsova
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