Oxford University Press launches stamp design competition for centenary

The national winners will be announced on 8 December 2015 at an awards ceremony in Pretoria where the centenary stamp, developed from the winning artwork, will be unveiled.

The competition extends to all provinces with the Department of Basic Education selecting the top ten quintile one and two schools per province that performed the best in the 2014 Grade 9 Annual National Assessments. The 90 schools participated in an educational art and creative writing project for the development of the centenary stamp with nearly 2 000 learners taking part.

"The project allows all participants to focus on the importance of education and reading in particular in their lives in the creative context of a stamp design," said Oxford University Press Southern Africa MD, Steve Cilliers.

The centenary stamp will be available in January 2016 nationally at select South African Post Offices and on www.virtualpostoffice.co.za.

"Stamps are a critical component of the postal sector across the globe and are generally referred to as 'the country's smallest ambassador', as they travel across the globe and carry with it a message about the country throughout the national and international postal system. Stamps are linked to wider national and international identity and portray the political, social and economic achievements of the country, cultures and the beauty of the country's natural and built environment. This also assists in creating revenue for the Post Office, attracting stamp collectors who are mainly interested in the designs and the message that goes along with it," said Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister, Siyabonga Cwele.