Announce from the Austrian State Printing Office.

Hunderwasser Stamp Souvenier Sheet by the Austrian State Printing Office was awarded the first price 1. 8. 2002

The Austrian State Printing Office won the first price in the category of "Best Multiple Issue" with its Hunderwasser Stamp during this year’s "Government Stamp Printers Conference" in Seoul.
The meeting that was held for the ninth time this August, was attended by 17 Security Printing Companies from around the world, among them the USA, Germany, China, France, Spain, Ukraine and Vietnam. The jury was composed of international specilists of the printing business.
The stamp was issued on the occasion of the demise of Professor Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the year 2000. Hunderwasser initiated the stamp series "modern art" and supported herewith the philately. For the production of the stamp a combination of intaglio and photo gravure printing methods were applied, the gravure was done by Professor Wolfgang Seidel. The Design is called "Blue Blues" and exists in four colour variations.
The excellent repudation of the high printing and artistic quality of the Austrian stamp was herwith once again confirmed. The stamp printing has a very long tradition at the Austrian State Printing Office, which was privatised in the year 2000. In 1850 already the first stamps were produced for the Austrian Post.