Stamp of success for three Derbyshire schoolchildren who help Royal Mail secure Guinness Book of Records title and praise from Boris Johnson

Designs from the 120 regional finalists will be considered by a panel of judges who will whittle them down to 24. A final eight entries will then be chosen to become official stamps which will appear in spring 2022.

Each of the regional finalists will receive £100 in gift vouchers and £100 for their school.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “It is of great credit to the children of this country that in world record breaking numbers they picked up their paintbrushes, pens and paints and paid artistic tribute to the heroes of our coronavirus response.

“Their brilliant efforts represent the collective gratitude of the nation to everyone who went above and beyond during the pandemic.

“Congratulations to all those who have made it to the next round and thank you to everyone who has taken part and to the teams at Royal Mail for managing this record number of entries.”

Simon Thomson, chief executive officer of Royal Mail, said: “We would like to thank all of the 606,049 children who submitted such brilliant designs to the competition. We have been amazed and impressed by the sheer volume of entries. And to have achieved a Guinness World Records title in the process shows how much the UK’s children value those heroes who have kept the nation moving during such a difficult period.”

The competition was open to UK schoolchildren to mark the important role played by key and frontline workers, as well as others, during the pandemic. Children were asked to think about who their hero or heroes were, and to design a stamp in their honour.