On 9 June, Åland Post releases this year’s stamp booklet paying tribute to children’s ingenuity and creative joy. For this issue, Åland Post cooperated with the School of Art & Design (Bild & Formskolan) in Mariehamn, selecting drawings by eight students as motifs for stamps, first day cover, maximum card, and cancellations.

“With this issue, we wish to highlight the culture of children, encourage co-creation and inclusion, and, at the same time, arouse interest in stamps as miniature works of art. Inspired by the Picasso quote “Every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” we celebrate children’s unique ability to create and express themselves through art,” says Johanna Finne, design manager at Åland Post Stamps.

During the spring of 2024, Åland Post Stamps realized a project together with the School of Art & Design in Mariehamn. The art students were asked to freely create drawings with the prospect that their images might be included in a stamp issue. Under the guidance of visual arts teachers Tiina Barck, Kirsi Strand och Carolina Sundelin, the project involved children and young people from 6 to 16 years of age. “Witnessing the children’s enthusiasm and joy of creation was fantastic. Their imaginative artwork offers a colourful journey of discovery through the natural world – full of shapes, colours, materials, sounds, and scents. The images raise questions about our perception of nature, making us reflect on our own place in it. The art and the children’s creativity are both moving and inspiring,” Johanna Finne at Åland Post Stamps says.

For the School of Art & Design, the project has provided a significant opportunity for visibility.

“The cooperation with Åland Post has been an enjoyable way to highlight the activities of the school and all talented students and, at the same time, celebrate the school’s 40^th anniversary in 2025. The project has been an educational and creative journey for the children who have had the chance to understand the process behind a stamp and see their ideas transformed into stamps,” says director Gudrun Gudmundsen.

Founded in 1985, the School of Art & Design is located in Mariehamn. It offers art and design courses for children and young people between the ages of 5 and 19 and strives to stimulate and develop students’ creativity and understanding of the various aspects of art.

• Name: Children’s Åland
• Date of issue: 9 June 2025
• Stamp artists: Joel Höglund, Elsa Carlström, Sofia Topoeva, Lowa Johansson
• FDC artist: Frida Carlsson
• Maximum card artist: Anna Sophia Czajkowksi
• First day cancel artist: Mathilda Jansson
• Special cancel artist: Michelle Horner
• Design: Johanna Finne
• Edition: 15 000
• Denomination: 8 × Inrikes (€28)
• Price FDC:  €15
• Price maximum card: €4.50
• Stamp size: 26.25 × 35 mm
• Booklet size, unfolded: 62 ×110 mm
• Stamps/booklet: 2 x 4 stamps
• Paper: 110 g/m2
• Perforation: 13 per 2 cm
• Process: 4-colour offset
• Printer: Joh. Enschedé

Order the stamp booklet, first day cover and maximum card in the webshop at alandstamps.com