The 2026 Greater Houston Stamp Show (GHSS) featured an outstanding field of competitive exhibits, with awards recognizing excellence across traditional, postal history, topical and single-frame exhibiting.

Robert Thompson received the show’s Grand Award for 25¢ Honeybee – From Design to Postal Usage. The exhibit also earned the Brad Horton Award, the American Philatelic Society Award, and a Multi-Frame Gold Medal.

The Reserve Grand Award went to Bryant Korn for The Kookaburra Stamps of Australia 1914–1960, which also received a Multi-Frame Gold Medal.

In the single-frame competition, Dr. Tommy Sim received the Single-Frame Grand Award for The Philippine 1947 Four-Centavo Jose Rizal Monument Definitive: From Design to Postal Usage. The exhibit also earned the Best Single-Frame Gray Exhibit award and a Single-Frame Gold Medal.

Several other exhibitors received special recognition. Ron Strawser earned the Texas Philatelic Association President’s Award for Mozambique Company Postal Stationery. Jay Stotts received the National Stamp Dealers Association Outstanding Presentation Award for Uses of the 40 c. Gray Swiss Small Landscape Issue of 1936–48. Trevor Bills received the Most Imaginative Single-Frame Gray Exhibit award for The Gray Area: Mail That Shouldn’t Have Made It, which was also selected as the Most Popular Single-Frame Exhibit.

The Most Popular Multi-Frame Exhibit Award went to Tomas Griebling for RINGS OF GLORY – Inspiring Olympic Design. Numerous additional gold, vermeil, silver and special society awards were presented, reflecting the wide range of subjects and exhibiting styles represented at GHSS 2026.

The Houston Philatelic Society congratulates all of this year’s exhibitors and award recipients and thanks everyone who helped make the 2026 Greater Houston Stamp Show a success.

The 2026 exhibits were evaluated by Chief Judge Darrell Ertzberger of New Mexico, Patrick Walters of Colorado, and Yavuz Corapcioglu of Texas. Ertzberger is a nationally and internationally accredited judge, while Walters and Corapcioglu are APS-accredited philatelic judges. HPS thanks the judging panel for their time, expertise and service to the exhibiting community at the Greater Houston Stamp Show.

The GHSS took place September 18-20 at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas.

View the complete 2026 Greater Houston Stamp Show Palmares and full list of award winners here.

GHSS Foundation, Inc. is holding a small Silent Auction of high-end material. Lots and bid sheets will be available at the Registration Table. The auction will close on Sunday at 2:00 pm. Winners must pick up their lots by 3:00 pm on Sunday.

Follow this link to view the items in the auction.

HUMBLE, Texas — September 18, 2026 — The Greater Houston Stamp Show will host the First Day Ceremony for the new U.S. Postal Service Winter Wreath Global Forever stamp at 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas.

The Winter Wreath stamp is the USPS 2026 Global Forever international-rate stamp and will be issued nationwide on September 18, with Humble, Texas, designated as the official First Day of Issue city. The stamp may be used for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail International letter and features a snowy, decorated wreath photographed by Natalia Kostikova. Greg Breeding served as the stamp’s designer and art director.

Collectors attending the Greater Houston Stamp Show will have the opportunity to take part in the First Day Ceremony and celebrate the release of the new issue. A special Greater Houston Stamp Show Station pictorial cancellation dated September 18, 2026 will also be available, featuring a wreath design incorporating an equestrian silhouette.

First Day Ceremony
Friday, September 18, 2026 — 11:00 a.m.
Greater Houston Stamp Show
Humble Civic Center
8233 Will Clayton Parkway
Humble, Texas 77338

The Greater Houston Stamp Show brings together stamp collectors, exhibitors, dealers and philatelic organizations for a weekend of buying, selling, exhibits, education and fellowship. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early Friday and join fellow collectors for this special postal event.

Official USPS Winter Wreath announcement:
USPS Winter Wreath Stamp Announcement

USPS Winter Wreath stamp page:
View the Winter Wreath stamp

Stamp Dealer’s List Published

Whether you’re a lifelong stamp collector or have never attended a stamp show before, there’s nothing quite like walking into a bustling bourse filled with dealers, philatelic exhibits, and countless thousands of stamps waiting to be discovered.

You walk in with a short want list and a budget. An hour later you’ve discovered a stamp you haven’t seen in years, won a door prize, met three new friends, and somehow your want list has doubled.

That’s the magic of the Greater Houston Stamp Show.

This year’s dealer bourse is shaping up to be one of our strongest ever, with 24 professional dealers traveling from across Texas and around the country to bring an incredible variety of philatelic material to Houston. Whether you collect United States classics, postal history, worldwide stamps, British Commonwealth, revenues, first day covers, or specialized collecting areas, you’ll find dealer tables worth exploring.

To help you make the most of your visit, we’ve published our 2026 Dealer Directory. You can browse each dealer’s specialties before the show and even visit many of their websites to get a preview of what they’ll be bringing.

👉 View the 2026 Dealer Directory here.

One of the best parts of any stamp show is that you never know what’s waiting in the next dealer’s stock. The stamp you’ve been searching for may be sitting in a dealer’s book just a few tables away.

We’ll continue sharing updates as additional dealers, exhibits, seminars, and special events are announced. The countdown to GHSS 2026 has begun—make plans now to attend the Greater Houston Stamp Show in September.

The Houston Philatelic Society (HPS) hosted Ltc. David S. Ball, the author of American Astro Philately: The First 50 Years, on March 2, 2026. Ball gave a presentation on Ukrainian war stamps, focusing on how Ukraine has used postage stamps as propaganda and morale boosters during the conflict with Russia since 2022. Ball presented examples of stamps depicting defiant gestures, military victories, and symbolic imagery, including the “done” issue that replaced the original stamp after Ukraine sank the Russian ship Moskva. The presentation highlighted Ukraine’s innovative approach to stamp design and production, including public input for new designs and the use of stamps to celebrate military achievements like the destruction of Russian aircraft and submarines. Ball also discussed his upcoming participation in the Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo in May, where he plans to display drone mail created with a friend to support Ukrainian warfighters.