Croatian Post's philatelic 'Oscar'

In the Italian city of Asiago, the "Premio Internazionale d'Arte Filatelica" award ceremony was held for the 40th time. Croatian Post was awarded the prize in the "culture" category for the stamp commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Franciscan order in the city of Cakovec, issued in May 2009.

The goal of this international competition, which was sponsored by the president of the Italian Republic, is to value the art of postage stamps, that is, the original idea or the message that the stamp is conveying.

Out of a hundred postal operators which were taken into consideration, the award in the "ecology" category was awarded to Iceland, the "tourism" award to Portugal, while Poland was given the award for the artistically most valuable stamp. A special award was given to India for their stamp promoting equality among children.

This has been the fourth time Croatian Post has received this prestigious award: the award for the artistically most valuable stamp in 2001 and 2005 and the award in the "culture" category in 2007. Some of Croatia's greatest visual artists, photographers and graphic designers collaborated on stamps issued by Croatian Post. They have received numerous recognitions over the years and are very popular among philatelists worldwide.