Each year awards are made by the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL): for 2026 a new medal was awarded for the first time.
When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the ‘Royal’, as with many other organisations, started to provide presentations using Zoom. These still continue, alongside the more familiar ‘in person’ displays and presentations. The new medal, to be awarded annually for the best RPSL digital presentation, is known as The Frank Walton Medal. Frank, who sadly died in 2022, was a past President of the Society and former Editor of its journal, The London Philatelist, and gave the first such presentation to the Society on 23 April 2020. The first recipient of the new medal is Apratim Bhattacharya, whose presentation was ‘Armed Struggle of Indian Independence – Indian Independence League in Japanese Occupied SE Asia’.
The other recipients in 2026 are as follows.
The Tapling Medal for the best article or supplement in The London Philatelist was awarded to Abhishek Bhuwalka FRPSL for his articles ‘Letters from Mauritius to Europe via India and Ceylon, 1843-1846’.
The Tilleard Medal for the best afternoon display given to the Society went to David Feldman FRPSL for ‘Imperforate Classics of the World in Green’.
The Lee Medal for the best afternoon presentation went to Bill Barrell FRPSL for ‘Great Britain Postal Reform and the Development of the Penny Value’.
The London Medal for exceptional services to the Society was awarded to Richard West MBE, FRPSL for publicity work with media, and to Damian Devoy FRPSL for work within the Philatelic Collections.
The Crawford Medal is awarded for the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately in book form. It has been awarded to New York City Foreign Mail 1845-1878 (Volume 1: 1845-1870) by Nicholas M. Kirke FRPSL.
Photo: Damian Devoy FRPSL (left), Richard West MBE, FRPSL, Simon Richards RDP, FRPSL, David Feldman FRPSL, and Bill Barrell FRPSL. [Photo credit: RPSL]
…
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/RPSL-awards-2026-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2026-06-29 19:01:152026-06-29 19:01:15The Royal’s Awards for 2026
The catalogue for the forthcoming Germany–Sweden Bilateral Competition Exhibition is currently being printed. It is perfectly suited to the occasion—and not just because of the cover—a fact that even the Mayor of Bernau, Andrι Stahl, has recognised in his welcoming address, which he delivered in eloquent terms.
Attractive special postmarks and special stamp issues are sure to appeal, and readers can look forward to some excellent specialist articles in the catalogue. Linus Lange traces the development of the Berlin Postal Stationery Collectors’ Association over its 125-year history. In his second article, Lange looks back at the issue of Prussian postal stationery from 175 years ago, whilst Ralph Ebner presents Swedish stamped papers (Charta Sigillata) bearing the signatures of several Swedish kings. Hans-Ulrich Schulz reflects on ‘100 Years of the Radio Tower’ and ‘100 Years of Lufthansa’, whilst Gόnter Strumpf looks back on the ‘175th Anniversary of the Berlin Professional Fire Brigade’. Three specialist articles on postal history by Torsten Berndt and Jόrgen Olschimke round off the specialist section.
Including the list of exhibits and various overviews, the catalogue runs to 130 pages and is expected to be available in Bernau for 2 euros. Further information can be found on the exhibition’s website https://www.bephila.de
On 28 May 2026, during BOSTON 2026, the Philatelic Academies Summit was held in Boston. Organised by Yamil Kouri and supported by the BOSTON 2026 organising committee, the event brought together leading philatelic academic institutions for the first time in a shared forum for dialogue and cooperation. The summit aimed to strengthen collaboration among organisations dedicated to philatelic research, the dissemination of specialist knowledge, and the preservation of documentary resources related to philately.
Representatives participated from Belgium, Brazil, the European Academy, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Türkiye, presenting their institutions’ activities and priorities. Discussions highlighted both the diversity of organisational models and the common challenges faced across the sector.
Key themes included increasing the international visibility of philatelic research, improving access to academic publications, and enhancing interoperability between existing digital resources.
Participants supported the development of a shared repository of academic publications, accompanied where possible by English translations to broaden accessibility. They also encouraged reciprocal linking of digital catalogues, studies and archives.
The summit concluded that greater international cooperation and generational renewal are essential to sustaining rigorous philatelic scholarship and engagement in the future.
Special thanks were expressed to Yamil Kouri for making the meeting possible and to Carlos Malpica for representing the RAHFHP.
Photo (top): Yamil Kouri. Photo (middle): Everaldo Santos, Academy of Postal History and Philately of Brazil (left); Serge Kahn, AEP; Kees Adema, Nederlandse Academie voor Filatelie; Yamil Kouri, RAHFHP, AEP; Lars Jørgensen, Académie Royale de Philatélie of Belgium; Robert Abensur, Académie de Philatélie; Carlos Malpica, RAHFHP; Giacomo Bottachi, Accademia Italiana di Filatelia e Storia Postale. Photo (bottom): Carlos Malpica. [Photo credit: RAHFHP]
…
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/academies_boston-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2026-06-27 10:23:132026-06-27 10:23:13Summit of Philatelic Academies in Boston
The Royal’s Awards for 2026
Each year awards are made by the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL): for 2026 a new medal was awarded for the first time.
When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the ‘Royal’, as with many other organisations, started to provide presentations using Zoom. These still continue, alongside the more familiar ‘in person’ displays and presentations. The new medal, to be awarded annually for the best RPSL digital presentation, is known as The Frank Walton Medal. Frank, who sadly died in 2022, was a past President of the Society and former Editor of its journal, The London Philatelist, and gave the first such presentation to the Society on 23 April 2020. The first recipient of the new medal is Apratim Bhattacharya, whose presentation was ‘Armed Struggle of Indian Independence – Indian Independence League in Japanese Occupied SE Asia’.
The other recipients in 2026 are as follows.
Photo: Damian Devoy FRPSL (left), Richard West MBE, FRPSL, Simon Richards RDP, FRPSL, David Feldman FRPSL, and Bill Barrell FRPSL.
[Photo credit: RPSL]
…
BEPHILA 2026 Catalogue Coming Up
The catalogue for the forthcoming Germany–Sweden Bilateral Competition Exhibition is currently being printed. It is perfectly suited to the occasion—and not just because of the cover—a fact that even the Mayor of Bernau, Andrι Stahl, has recognised in his welcoming address, which he delivered in eloquent terms.
Attractive special postmarks and special stamp issues are sure to appeal, and readers can look forward to some excellent specialist articles in the catalogue. Linus Lange traces the development of the Berlin Postal Stationery Collectors’ Association over its 125-year history. In his second article, Lange looks back at the issue of Prussian postal stationery from 175 years ago, whilst Ralph Ebner presents Swedish stamped papers (Charta Sigillata) bearing the signatures of several Swedish kings. Hans-Ulrich Schulz reflects on ‘100 Years of the Radio Tower’ and ‘100 Years of Lufthansa’, whilst Gόnter Strumpf looks back on the ‘175th Anniversary of the Berlin Professional Fire Brigade’. Three specialist articles on postal history by Torsten Berndt and Jόrgen Olschimke round off the specialist section.
Including the list of exhibits and various overviews, the catalogue runs to 130 pages and is expected to be available in Bernau for 2 euros. Further information can be found on the exhibition’s website https://www.bephila.de
The complete newsletter:
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/bephila2026_nsl19.pdf
…
Summit of Philatelic Academies in Boston
Published by the Real Academia Hispánica de Filatelia e Historia Postal (RAHFHP) and summarised here:
On 28 May 2026, during BOSTON 2026, the Philatelic Academies Summit was held in Boston. Organised by Yamil Kouri and supported by the BOSTON 2026 organising committee, the event brought together leading philatelic academic institutions for the first time in a shared forum for dialogue and cooperation. The summit aimed to strengthen collaboration among organisations dedicated to philatelic research, the dissemination of specialist knowledge, and the preservation of documentary resources related to philately.
Representatives participated from Belgium, Brazil, the European Academy, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Türkiye, presenting their institutions’ activities and priorities. Discussions highlighted both the diversity of organisational models and the common challenges faced across the sector.
Key themes included increasing the international visibility of philatelic research, improving access to academic publications, and enhancing interoperability between existing digital resources.
Participants supported the development of a shared repository of academic publications, accompanied where possible by English translations to broaden accessibility. They also encouraged reciprocal linking of digital catalogues, studies and archives.
The summit concluded that greater international cooperation and generational renewal are essential to sustaining rigorous philatelic scholarship and engagement in the future.
Special thanks were expressed to Yamil Kouri for making the meeting possible and to Carlos Malpica for representing the RAHFHP.
Photo (top): Yamil Kouri. Photo (middle): Everaldo Santos, Academy of Postal History and Philately of Brazil (left); Serge Kahn, AEP; Kees Adema, Nederlandse Academie voor Filatelie; Yamil Kouri, RAHFHP, AEP; Lars Jørgensen, Académie Royale de Philatélie of Belgium; Robert Abensur, Académie de Philatélie; Carlos Malpica, RAHFHP; Giacomo Bottachi, Accademia Italiana di Filatelia e Storia Postale. Photo (bottom): Carlos Malpica.
[Photo credit: RAHFHP]
…