12.11.2013

Voting begins for Latvijas Pasts stamp design contest; use Twitter, Facebook or Draugiem account to vote

The online voting for the submissions received for the stamp design contest organized by Latvijas Pasts and Imants Ziedonis Foundation Viegli has begun on November 11. In total 165 stamp designs associated with Imants Ziedonis were submitted - various creative and unusual ideas related to the outstanding poet and his works. The judges, comprising experts of various fields, have selected 30 potential new stamp designs for voting, and votes can be cast at http://jaunapastmarka until November 19.

Any user of Twitter, Facebook or Draugiem.lv will be able to vote for their favorite stamp design by using the social network account. It is possible to vote for different stamps using a single account, but only one vote per day can be given to each stamp. The voting for the stamp designs displayed at http://jaunapastmarka.lv/finalisti will continue until the midnight of Tuesday, November 19. The winner of the contest will be announced on Wednesday, November 20.

All submitted works were initially evaluated by judges, which include representative of foundation Viegli, musician Māra Upmane-Holšteine, composer Raimonds Tiguls, advertising expert Armands Leitis and Philately Director of Latvijas Pasts Edmunds Bebrišs. In examining the submitted works, the judges evaluated the invested work and the originality of the design.

The design that obtains the most votes will be used for the development of a real stamp, which will be released in the beginning of 2014 with a print run of 300,000. The denomination of the stamp will be EUR 0.50, corresponding to the postage of an ordinary letter within Latvia.

In addition to the chance to see their stamp travel to countries far and near, the winner of the competition will receive a prize - a graphics tablet - and an opportunity to create a unique personalized stamp set at Latvijas Pasts.

In 2012, 166 stamp design ideas were submitted for the contest, and 4,451 votes were cast. The winner with 1,181 votes was the stamp designed by Jānis Uzraugs depicting a BMX racer. The winner of the 2011 contest was Evita Eidinta with the stamp The Place Where Stories Are Born.

Vote for your favorite stamp design in this year's contest at http://jaunapastmarka.lv/finalisti.

About SJSC Latvijas Pasts

Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with more than 4,200 employees.

About Imants Ziedonis Foundation Viegli

Imants Ziedonis Foundation Viegli was established in spring 2010 to carry out a mission close to the heart of the foundation's patron, poet Imants Ziedonis: "Latvia is a wondrously beautiful land, but beauty must be helped to emerge." The objective of the foundation is to support and promote creative work in Latvia, facilitating implementation of the ideas and values of Imants Ziedonis by supporting creative, unusual endeavors and carrying out projects that reveal the beauty of Latvia.

Additional information:
Zane Plone
Public Relations Specialist
Phone: +371 67608505
E-mail: zane.plone@pasts.lv
twitter.com/latvijas_pasts; facebook.com/latvijas.pasts