With its commitment to quality and aesthetics, Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) has won numerous international awards for Macao stamps over the years. Last year, with the “Rare Animals in China” souvenir sheet, CTT entered the “World's Best Stamps 2025” competition — jointly organized by the Universal Postal Union, the World Association for the Development of Philately and the Philatelic Federation of South Africa, and won the first place in the “The Best Intaglio Stamp” category.
The “World's Best Stamps” competition is universally recognized as one of the highest honors in the global philatelic community, designed to celebrate the pinnacle of printing technology and artistic design in stamp creation. This year the competition has attracted active participation from 66 countries and regions worldwide, with a total of 195 entries submitted. The jury panel, composed of stamp designers, scholars and senior philatelists from different countries, conducted a professional and multi-dimensional evaluation to ensure the breadth and academic balance of the selection results.
CTT’s award-winning work, the “Rare Animals in China” souvenir sheet, takes the black-faced spoonbill, a state key protected wild animal, as its creative core. Adopting an artistic expression that blends realism with freehand brushwork, it fully leverages the unique linear tension of intaglio printing. Through meticulous deep and shallow engraving, it not only accurately outlines the smooth texture and layers of the black-faced spoonbill's pure white feathers, but also endows it with a vivid, lifelike demeanor, creating a striking three-dimensional visual impact that leaps off the page. At the same time, the work delicately depicts the black-faced spoonbill in its natural habitat, transforming artistic beauty into a call and deep concern for species conservation.
This top international award won by CTT not only represents international recognition of Macao's stamp design and printing standards, but also showcases the diverse charm of Macao stamps to the world. CTT will continue to strive to issue philatelic products that combine artistic depth and cultural heritage, and continue to tell the stories of Macao through the beauty of these philatelic works of art.
