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.