FEPA Awards for 2025

The FEPA Board is delighted to announce the FEPA Medals and Certificates of Appreciation for 2025 and congratulate the awardees. The Board is grateful to the Member Federations for their participation in the Awards Programme by submitting their nominations and to the external advisers for their assistance in reaching decisions on the Research and Francis Kiddle medals.

FEPA MEDAL 2025
for Exceptional Service to Organised Philately

Awarded to: Wolfgang Maassen RDP (Germany)

Wolfgang Maassen RDP FRPSL, born in 1949, has been an author, publisher, and journalist in the fields of philately and postal history for more than 45 years. He has been involved in public relations for the ‘Bund Deutscher Philatelisten’ for 35 years. He served as Head of the Press Office for the IBRA 1999 World Exhibition in Nuremberg, Head of the administration for IBRA 2009 in Essen and IPHLA 2012 in Mainz, and was also Head of the Organising Team for IBRA 2023 in Essen. For many years, he has advised several German professional organisations as a consultant and has served as Editor-in-Chief of well-known national and international journals. Amongst these, he edited the German magazine Philatelie from 1989 to 2016. His work has long focused on two major book series: manuals for stamp collectors and a chronicle of German philately. To date, he has published more than 100 books. From May 2005 to November 2025, he served as President of the Association Internationale des Journalistes Philatélique (AIJP). He is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and a signatory of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.

Earlier awardees: https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/awardees/fepa-medal-for-service/

FEPA MEDAL 2025
for Exceptional Support to Organised Philately

Awarded to: Jiří Střecha (Czech Republic)

Mgr Jiří Střecha has served as Director of the Postal Museum of the Czech Republic since 2016. A museologist and historian specialising in transport and economic history, he has strengthened the museum’s role in promoting philately nationally and internationally. Under his leadership, the museum became a key partner of the World Stamp Exhibition PRAGA 2018 and played a prominent role at LIBEREC 2022, presenting both philatelic collections and postal history exhibits. He also supported the National Exhibition LIBEREC 2025 with international participation. Střecha actively encourages young philatelists through cooperation with clubs and educational initiatives. Within the International Council of Museums, he initiated the first ICOM postage stamp in 2022. As a board member of the International Association of Transport and Communications Museums, he collaborates with leading postal museums worldwide, serving as a respected ambassador of Czech philately.

Earlier awardees: https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/awardees/fepa-medal-for-support/

FEPA MEDAL 2025
for Exceptional Study and Research

Medal awarded to: Călin Gheorghe Marinescu (Romania) for 40 Years of the Romanian Postal History 1830–1869.

The author, Romania’s leading philatelic researcher, has published over 400 articles and 16 volumes since 1984, becoming a central figure in Romanian postal history. His latest two-volume work is a valuable piece of fundamental research, serving both as a primary source and as a reference book. Its bilingual format enables it to reach a global audience. A tremendous amount of effort has gone into locating and studying historical documents, not to mention translating them into English. The book addresses all the essential aspects of its subject. It provides an excellent basis for further research, enabling the original texts to be interpreted and made more accessible to a wider readership.

Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Runners-up:

Florian Berger (Germany) for Die postalischen Verhältnisse in Hamburg / Hamburg-Philatelie 1859–1867.
Lorenzo Carra (Italy) for Il Lombardo Veneto e i paesi italiani / Relazioni postali 1814–1866.
Dan-Simion Grecu (Romania) for Civilian Postal Censorship in Romanian History, 1914–1928.

Earlier awardees: https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/awardees/fepa-medal-for-research/

FRANCIS KIDDLE MEDAL 2025
for Significant Impact in Digital Philatelic Communication

Awarded to: RonAleX Stamp Corner for https://www.youtube.com/@briefmarkenecke/videos

This channel has been created for philately enthusiasts and, through short videos, takes viewers on a journey through history, collectibles, and fascinating discoveries. It collaborates closely with philatelic study groups, museums, and dedicated collectors, with quality as its clear priority. New videos are released only when there is something meaningful to share, reflecting a strong commitment to substance over quantity.

Earlier awardees: https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/awardees/francis-kiddle-medal/

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION 2025

In 2025, twelve philatelic societies from across Europe and two individuals were eligible to receive the 2025 FEPA Certificate of Appreciation.

Awarded to philatelic societies:

Varna Philatelic Society (Bulgaria)
Philatelic Society Trbovlje (Slovenia)
Philatelic Society of Lesvos (Greece)
Themaphila (Belgium)
Philatelic Association of Sibiu County (Romania)
Association philatelique et numismatique carcassonnaise (France)
Hamburger Verein für Briefmarkenkunde (Germany)
Ankara Philatelic Society (Turkey)
Philatelic Society of Tampere (Finland)
Unione Siciliana Collezionisti (Italy)
Liberec 2025 (Czech Republic)
West Riding Stamp Club (United Kingdom)

Awarded to individuals:

Francisc Ambrus (Romania)
Vladimír Münzberger (Czech Republic)

Earlier awardees: https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/awardees/fepa-certificate-of-appreciation/

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