Czech Republic, Luxembourg share top prize at 54th Asiago awards

By Danilo Bogoni

At the 54th edition of the Asiago international awards for philatelic art, the Oscars of philately as it is known, there were some surprises. The award ceremony for stamps issued in 2023 took place on July 21, 2024, in the historic town hall in Asiago, Italy.

The event differs from other similar competitions in that the issuing countries are directly involved in the selection of the stamps awarded.

The jury included Sophie Bastide, Raul Berzosa, Giancarlo Bortoli, Franco Filanci Laura Filippucci, Giovanni Luigi Fontana, Valter Forte, Gianni Letta, Thomas Matha, Giorgio Migliavacca, Flavio Rodeghiero, Orietta Rossi, Gaetano Thiene and Marco Ventura.

The event’s top award went to two different stamps based on their graphics and messages.

The first co-winner, shown in Figure 1, was the Czech Republic miniature sheet of four (Scott 3843), with two stamps denominated “E” (44-koruna) and two “Z” (50 kc), celebrating William Shakespeare. The jury acknowledged the sheet “for the rich, exhaustive and original presentation of the work of the Bard by Marina Richterova (illustrator), not only as recalling some of his famous characters between comedy and tragedy, but also some themes, settings and figures of the Elizabethan theatre.”

This is the fourth time that the Czech Post (Ceska Posta) has garnered the top award, having previously won in 1972, 1984 and 2002. Czech Post stamp designers Jan Istvanek and Martin Holy were presented the City of Asiago trophy by Asiago mayor Roberto Rigoni Stern, deputy mayor Ludovica Tondello and city councilor Riccardo Cunico.

The second stamp to earn the event’s top award, shown in Figure 2, was the €1.40+15c Christmas semipostal stamp from Luxembourg (Scott B551) picturing a snowman melting while holding a small umbrella. The snowman was hoping to survive under a parasol.

In awarding the co-winner, the jury said that the Nov. 14 semipostal issue’s design was “simple, effective and in its own dramatic way highlighted the emergency of climate change and cleverly combined that with the holiday through the most immediate and difficult form of art: humor.”

To read about the rest of the 2024 Asiago award winners, subscribe to Linn’s Stamp News.

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