According to Art. 9.7 of the FEPA Statutes, “the Board shall define and maintain guidelines for awarding the FEPA Medals and Certificates”. At its Board meeting on 21 August 2026, the Board approved the following Guidelines, valid for the 2026 Awards programme.

1. The FEPA Medal for Exceptional Service
1.1. Candidates nominated for this award must be individuals (not teams or groups) who have, over time, provided outstanding service to European philately extending beyond purely national achievements. Other philatelic merits (e.g., study and research, exhibition awards, publications, or years of service) per se do not constitute a reason for the award.
1.2. Only FEPA members may submit nominations using the form on https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/guidelines/ by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
1.3. Nominations are also valid for the next two years, provided the submitting members confirm them in due time.
1.4. Only one medal may be awarded for exceptional service every year. However, an additional medal may be awarded “in memoriam” if a suitable nomination is received.
1.5. Due to its nature, this award may be given only once to the same person.

2. The FEPA Medal for Exceptional Support
2.1. Candidates nominated for these awards must be individuals (not teams or groups) not directly involved with organised philately, who have provided outstanding support to European philately extending beyond purely national achievements. For example, government officials, managers of postal or philatelic services, museum curators, stamp designers, etc.
2.2. Only FEPA members may submit nominations using the form on https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/guidelines/ by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
2.3. Nominations are valid only for the year concerned.
2.4. Only one medal may be awarded for exceptional support every year.
2.5. Due to its nature, the award may be given only once to the same person.

3. The FEPA Medal for Exceptional Philatelic Study and Research
3.1. Candidates nominated for this award must have authored a publication appearing in print or otherwise during 2025 and 2026. The medal recognises outstanding philatelic study and research concerning any aspect of philately, which does not necessarily have to relate to a European theme.
3.2. The publication should demonstrate high professional standards and stand as a model at the European level of how research on a philatelic subject should be generated and presented.
3.3. In case the research is structured in multiple volumes, only those published within the period concerned will be considered.
3.4. Only FEPA members can submit nominations using the form on https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/guidelines/ by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
3.5. Nominations are valid only for the year concerned. Hence, publications that were nominated for the 2025 Research Medal cannot be proposed again.
3.6. The medal may be awarded to more than one work in any particular year.
3.7. If the winning publication is authored by two writers, the medal is awarded to both. If authored by three or more writers, the leader receives the medal, while each of the other writers is awarded a Certificate of Appreciation.
3.8. The other candidates may receive a Certificate of Appreciation, depending on the quality of their entry.
3.9. Due to the breadth of subjects and related competencies required to assess the research, the Board may appoint a panel of experts to advise on the nominations.
3.10. To facilitate such an assessment, publications on paper must be presented as a PDF file that will be circulated to the panel members and the FEPA Board members. Such a file should be sent concurrently with the nomination form. It is at the discretion of the nominees to additionally submit a paper copy of the work, which, after the assessment, will be donated to a philatelic institution chosen by the Board.

4. The Certificate of Appreciation for Philatelic Societies
4.1. Candidates nominated for this award must be philatelic societies (not member federations) in recognition of their outstanding activities promoting and supporting philately and services to the local community.
4.2. Only FEPA members can submit nominations using the form on https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/guidelines/. Nominations can be presented by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
4.3. The Board encourages and expects Member Federations to make proposals for the Certificates of Appreciation. It is known that many deserving societies exist and will be pleased to award them the Certificate. As the Statutes do not limit the number of Certificates to be delivered yearly, the Board will award as many Certificates as are justified by the nominations.

5. The Certificate of Appreciation for Individuals
5.1. Candidates nominated for this award must be individuals in recognition of their longstanding engagement in supporting organised philately. Other philatelic merits (e.g., study and research, exhibition awards, publications, years of service) per se do not constitute a reason for the award.
5.2. All FEPA members can submit nominations using the form available on https://fepanews.com/fepa-awards/guidelines/. Nominations can be presented by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
5.3. The FEPA Board is also entitled to present this award as appreciation for a particular service rendered, such as managing the organisation of an international exhibition supported by FEPA.

6. Presentation of Awards
6.1. In principle, the medals will be presented at the yearly FEPA Congress.
6.2. Certificates will be mailed to the nominating Federation, and it is strongly recommended that they are presented formally to the recipients at an important philatelic event.

7. General provisions
7.1. All nominees must sign a form accepting the nomination.
7.2. All communication between the FEPA Board and the nominating FEPA member is conducted by email. The address for submitting nomination forms and PDF files is: awards@fepanews.com.

NOMINATION DOCUMENTS

The FEPA Medals for Exceptional Service or Support

The FEPA Medal for Exceptional Philatelic Study and Research

The FEPA Certificate of Appreciation

DEADLINES

Call for nominations for all awards: 30 September 2025

Submission of nominations for all awards: 10 December 2025

Decision of the Board: first Board meeting in 2026

Announcement of awards: first FEPA Newsletter after such Board meeting

Presentation of awards: at the 2026 FEPA Congress