Heraldic Lion

Mika Launis' bold conception

Graphic designer Mika Launis' bold conception of a heraldic lion befitting our time won the Lion stamp design competition for invited artists, arranged by Finland Post in the spring of 2000. "The new lion stamp is a symbol for Finland and Finnish culture, and excellently supports Finland Post's new image", the jury comments this work, showing just part of the powerful lion and its appropriate heraldic paraphernalia. The jury regarded the modern view on heraldry of the artist as a special merit: the artist created a symbol for Finland that is more flexible and more widely useful than the traditional, official-looking heraldic lion.

Mika Launis

Mika Launis is best known as a talented illustrator, and has received several awards for his work, but he is also well versed in heraldry. Mr Launis says that he worked with the lion subject throughout the 1990s, then in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mika Launis was awarded the second and third prizes, too. Mika Launis submitted several works to the competition.

Stamp issues

Launis illustrated two stamp issues: in 1998 he designed the Labour Day and Midsummer Day stamps for the Europa issue, and the 1997 Europa stamps were illustrated by his drawings for the Saami fairy tale The girl who turned in into a golden merganser.

Lion stamp in Euro

The lion stamp will be the first Finnish stamp denominated in euro. On that day the heraldic lion makes its come-back as the leading subject on Finnish definitive stamps.