Article

Australia Post wins San Gabriele International Philatelic Art Prize

17 November 2016

On 2 October 2016, Australia Post was awarded the San Gabriele International Philatelic Art Prize. It won the award for the Christmas 2015 stamp issue, illustrated by award-winning Melbourne-based illustrator Sonia Kretschmar. The award was given jointly with Croatia, which won for its Easter 2015 stamp.

2015 Christmas minisheet

The San Gabriele International Philatelic Art Prize is a prestigious international philatelic art and design award for religious subjects. It was established in 1969 in Verona, Italy, and is named after St Gabriel, also known as “the Lord’s postman”. It is open to all internationally recognised postal authorities that produce postage stamps.

The award was presented at a special ceremony in Legnago, Italy. The Australian Ambassador to Italy, Mr Greg French, accepted the medallion and certificate on behalf of Australia Post.

The jury was made up of nine jurors, who included the Archbishops of Vienna and Trento. They were impressed by the fact that (as translated from Italian) “…the images offer, in a contemporary style, a sweet Nativity scene and the solemn and, at the same time, kindly figures of the Three Wise Men.”

The Australian Ambassador to Italy, Mr Greg French, accepted the medallion and certificate on behalf of Australia Post.

The San Gabriele International Philatelic Art Prize

Sonia Kretschmar is delighted that her work has been acknowledged in this way: “I'm honoured and surprised to have helped Australia win such a prestigious award with my first stamp design."

This article was produced at the time of publication and will not be updated.