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2014 is the year of the horse. Through the ‘18th International Postage Stamp Design Contest,’Korea Post has publicly collected stamp designs under the theme of ‘New Year’s Greetings Stamps.’ Four works that won grand and gold prizes in the youth category and general category have each been issued as stamps. The Grand Prize winner in the general category was ‘roaring new year’ by Cho Zaw Aung (Myanmar), which strongly expresses horse-like features in lines of pastel tones. The work by Norman B. Isaac (Philippines) which won Gold Prize in the general category features an adorable child wearing a colorful, horse mask. Its cheerful and amusing design is reminiscent of festiveness, expressing expectations for a ‘joyful new year.’‘Happy new year,’ the Grand Prize winner in the youth category by Kwon Yoon-jin (Korea) depicted in a charming way a yellow pony on diverse-colored rectangles which evokes the image of a patchwork quilt or an artwork by Mondrian. The Gold Prize winner, Shin Yoo-mi, conveys a message of ‘New Year full of love’ through her affectionate and delightful images of horses - horses standing or running, horses love whispering, horse eating and horse defecating. On one hand, horses have long been revered as an auspicious symbol of the king. On the other hand, horses are serene creatures that lead us into the joyful realms of childhood, depicted by ponies in an amusement park or the unicorns of our imagination. It is hoped that 2014, the year of the horse, will bring us all happiness and that it will be a year of facing new challenges and grabbing opportunities, just as the horse might take a mighty leap.