Royal Mail announced the winners of a regional competition to encourage youngsters to design stamps inspired by heroes of the pandemic.
To recognize the crucial role of key and frontline workers during the Covid crisis, the competition was open to UK schoolchildren.
Children aged 4-14 years were asked to consider their heroes, and then to design a Royal Mail stamp in their honor.
Over 600,000 entries were received from more than 7,479 schools throughout the UK.
One of the judges, Baroness Floella Ben, stated: “For many children living through Covid has been a worrying time, so it was great to give them the opportunity to be artistically creative and share their vision of what they have experienced and their hopes for the future. The results are inspirational.”
Hannah Ingram-Moore, daughter of Captain Sir Thomas Moore, who was also a judge, said her family had been touched by how many designs there were of her father.”
These designs honored a variety of heroes, including parents, carers and refuse collectors, nurses, cleaners, teachers, staff at supermarkets, transport workers, drivers, postmen, and women.
These designs will move on to the next round with a chance of appearing on a stamp next spring.
The Prince of Wales will select the final eight designs.