Competition: design your own postage stamp for a chance to win a £100 goody bag!
Learn about the history of stamps, who invented them and some of the different designs that stamps have had over the years. Then come up with a design for your very own postage stamp to enter into our competition. We’re sure it will be first class!
A penny for your thoughts
Up until 1840, sending letters in the post was complicated and expensive. Letters were hand-stamped with ink and whoever received one had to pay for the postage when it was delivered, depending on how far it had travelled and the number of sheets of paper it was written on. People would often write coded messages in the letter’s address, so the recipient could inspect the letter and then refuse to pay.
In 1837 a British schoolmaster called Sir Rowland Hill came up with the idea of an adhesive stamp (one that could be stuck on to an envelope) It would be paid for by the sender based on the weight of the letter, no matter how far it was going.
The world’s first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in 1840. It changed the whole postal system by making sending letters much cheaper. People could send a letter weighing up to half an ounce (about 14g) for one penny.
From black to red
In the year the Penny Black stamp was first issued, more people sent post than ever before and the number of letters sent in the UK more than doubled. Within three years, postage stamps had been introduced in Switzerland and Brazil, and by 1860 they were used in 90 countries across the world.
The Penny Black stamp featured a picture of Queen Victoria’s head. Since then, the head of the reigning monarch has been the main image on standard UK stamps, which are known as ‘definitives’.
The Penny Black was followed by the Penny Red, which was issued in 1841. It had the same design, but the red colour meant that the postmark could be seen more easily. This stopped people from reusing the stamps from letters they had recieved in the post. Penny Reds were printed up until 1879, making it Britain’s longest-running stamp. During this time, a total of 21 billion Penny Reds were produced!
Did you know?
All designs for British stamps must be approved by the reigning monarch before they can be issued. And as postage stamps were invented in the UK, it’s the only country in the world that doesn't have to include its name on the design!
Putting a different stamp on it
Since 1924, Royal Mail has also created special, one-off stamp designs known as ‘commemoratives’. These are used to mark important national events and anniversaries, and to celebrate British people’s achievements, for example in science, music or literature. These stamp designs can feature paintings, drawings, photography and even sculptures or collages – as long as it works at a stamp-sized scale.
In 1966, the tradition of issuing special stamps for Christmas began. The first of these were designed by children and featured a snowman and a king. Most stamps are rectangular, but other shapes have been used around the world too – including triangles, circles and even banana-shaped stamps, which were issued by Tonga from 1969 to 1985!
Over to you!
Now that you've discovered the history of stamps, we’d like you to come up with your own. Click the button below to download the template and print it out, then use it to create your very own postage stamp design.
It could feature a member of your family, a friend, a pet, a person you admire or something else entirely – whatever you can think of! You can use felt-tips, crayons, colouring pencils or paint to make your stamp design. You could even try creating a collage.
How you make your design is completely up to you – just make sure it’s something that you’d like to be sent through the post!
Download your stamp templateHow to enter
Once you’ve created your postage stamp design, you can enter it into our competition to be in with a chance of winning a goody bag of prizes worth £100 from our online shop. Ask an adult to scan or take a clear photograph of your drawing and send it to us at membersmagazine@ourmedia.co.uk, along with your full name and age, and your parent or guardian’s membership number, name and address. Don't forget to tell us who or what is in your design, and why!
Please make sure you have your parent or guardian’s permission to enter and check the terms and conditions below. Entries must be in by midnight on Sunday 16 April 2023. Good luck!
Enter now
