In pictures: These are Sweden's new stamps

A total of 20,200 images were submitted to Swedish-Danish postal service Postnord's contest on Instagram. A jury cut them down to 20 finalists, allowing the public to vote for their favourites. The trio with the highest number of votes has now been combined with four of the judges' picks to make up the seven new stamps.

The series will be released in May 2017, but here's a sneak peek at the winners and some of their statements from a press release issued by Postnord on Monday.

Fishing huts at Smögen

Photographer: Jeppe Gustafsson, Motala

"I had a picture that I was happy with," said Gustafsson, who snapped this photo of traditional fishing huts on Sweden's west coast. "Getting my own stamp feels super fun and like an honour at the same time."

Photo: Jeppe Gustafsson/Postnord

Swing carousel in Stockholm

Photographer: Johanna Mörtberg, Stockholm

Mörtberg snapped this picture of one of the rides at Stockholm's iconic leisure park Gröna Lund.

Photo: Johanna Mörtberg/Postnord

Cat on a jetty

Photographer: Madelene Peterson, Örebro

"I competed in #mittfrimärke because I saw it as an incredibly fun opportunity. I feel so honoured and proud that my picture is going to become a stamp," said Peterson using the competition's hashtag 'mitt frimärke' ('my stamp').

Photo: Madelene Peterson/Postnord

Lonely rowboat in calm water

Photographer: Örjan Javala, Vännäs

It is difficult to tell the sky and the water apart in this picture by hobby photographer Javala, who said his friends have often urged him to submit his pictures to competitions. This time he did, and it paid off.

Photo: Örjan Javala/Postnord

Dad with child

Photographer: Fredrik Thomasson, Karlskrona

The Local spoke to Thomasson earlier this year when his picture of him holding his sleeping son Charlie was picked as one of the 20 finalists. Here's what he had to say:

"I was sitting watching TV and drinking my coffee when they were doing an interview with Postnord about the competition. That picture came to mind straight away because it means a lot for me. I sent it in for fun and apparently more people than just me like it."

"Charlie has already decided that if we get to be on a stamp he wants to send the fee we'll get to sick kids so they can be happy and perhaps healthy. So it'll go to the Barncancerfonden (Child Cancer Fund)."

Photo: Fredrik Thomasson/Postnord

Evening walk in the woods

Photographer: Monica Thelin, Bullaren

Thelin lives in western Sweden, close to its border with Norway. She says she finds photography relaxing.

Photo: Monica Thelin/Postnord

Curious elk

Photographer: Bertram Stenlund Fridell, Vimmerby

Fridell snapped this picture of an elk (or a moose, if you prefer) at Virum elk park near Vimmerby in southern Sweden. It's a rare up-close-and-personal encounter with one of Sweden's most iconic animals.

Photo: Bertram Stenlund/Postnord