In the year of the Olympic Games and as part of the programme accompanying the Philatelic Exhibition SLOVOLYMPFILA 2008 focusing on sports, the POFIS department of the Slovak Postal Service organised a children’s stamp design competition ‘Christmas 2009 - Winter Motif’. Winter sports – the main theme of this year’s competition – are something most of us associate with the active use of free time during the Christmas holidays. The aim of the competition was to get the children aged 7–13 actively involved in the process of stamp production in Slovakia, and to identify creative graphic designs thanks to the spontaneous expression and exceptional perspectives of young talented artists on the given theme. The project was meant to provide children with room to express their artistic and graphic design talents and present the world as they see it through their own eyes. 22 children took part in the competition from artistic and philatelic groups in elementary art schools in Bratislava, Pezinok and Trnava. In addition to the award-winning design created by Kristínka Pútecová from the Elementary Art School in Pezinok, which is used for the postage stamp, the most beautiful drawings were selected by a committee of professionals and lay persons. The selected works will be used for the overprint on the first day cover, FDC cancellation, cartes maxima and commemorative cancellation. The award-winning design of a female skater meets all the evaluation criteria, such as composition, overall graphic design, creativity, originality of expression, and the intended use of the work as a postage stamp. This is yet another stamp based on typical children’s design as cultivated by teachers and professional leaders of graphic art groups organised for children at elementary art schools. The Slovak Postal Service views this competition as an excellent opportunity for future artists to develop their talents and a way to get children actively involved in the stamp production process, and to motivate them to remain devoted to the noble hobby of stamp collection. Ružena Gilányiová