Winners have been announced in an island-wide school competition to design postcards and a pre-paid stamp as part of Blein ny Gaelgey, Year of the Manx Language.

More than 600 children from both primary and secondary schools took part in a competition, run by the Department for Education, Sport and Culture's Manx Language Service (Yn Skimmee Gaelgagh), which marks its 35th anniversary this year.

Pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who performed at the Villa Marina in July, helped to judge the competition alongside Felicity Wood, Adam Berry, Emma Cooke and Chris Thomas, along with members of the Skimmee Gaelgagh, with support from the Isle of Man Post Office’s general manager stamps and coins Maxine Cannon.

The singer chose Nick Zhao’s stamp design, which featured the words ‘Gaelg Aboo’, meaning ‘Hooray for the Manx language!’

She said: ‘The designs are so beautiful, and it was really exciting to help choose a winner. Congratulations to all the children who took part. I think it's gorgeous and will look great as a stamp. It also features Manx cats, and I'm a cat lover, so that swayed me too.’

The two winning postcard designs by Ruby Graham and Martin Djusko were produced by the Isle of Man Post Office with costs, including postage, covered through its sponsorship committee.

During this week’s Cooish Vooar language festival, almost 1,000 students will write the postcards in Manx before posting them to other students learning the language.

They will also be posted to international destinations to connect with other minority languages and Manx language supporters.

Martin Kneale, Isle of Man Post Office’s finance director and chairman of its sponsorship committee, said: ‘Isle of Man Post Office is proud to support the postcard and stamp design competition as part of Blein ny Gaelgey.

‘This wonderful initiative encourages young people to engage with the Manx language in a creative and meaningful way while celebrating the rich myths, legends and cultural heritage of our island.

‘We are delighted to sponsor the postage-paid postcards, helping to bring the winning design to life and enabling young people to share their creativity. Congratulations to all of the winners and everyone who took part in this inspiring project.’

The winners received their prizes at a special ceremony on Monday, held in the Manx National Heritage's Cum dty hengey (Mind your language) exhibition at the Manx Museum.

Manx National Heritage assistant curator Nicola Tooms said: ‘This competition has shown just how creative and enthusiastic young people are about our Manx language.

‘The designs celebrate our language in a creative and imaginative way, and it's wonderful to see them brought to life through these postcards and stamp, helping to share Manx with people both on and off the island.’

The government’s Manx language strategy aims to grow the number of speakers in the Isle of Man to 5,000 by 2032.

The plan includes increasing digital resources for learners, raising awareness of the language and promoting the benefits of bilingual learning.