Jean-Jacques Tillard captured both Grand Awards at CANPEX 2026, leading an impressive field of competitive exhibits at the national philatelic exhibition held Oct. 17-18 in London, Ont.
Tillard earned the Grand Award for his multi-frame exhibit, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the “Group” type 1892-1908, which received 97 points and a large gold medal, the highest score awarded at the exhibition.
He also captured the Single Frame Grand Award for Les entiers postaux “pêcheur” et “goéland” à Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon 1909-1918, examining the French territory’s fisherman and seagull postal stationery issues. The exhibit received 92 points and a large gold medal.
Tillard earned a third large gold medal for another single-frame exhibit devoted to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
The Reserve Grand Award went to Greg Shoults for Washington & Franklin Coils: Third Bureau Flat Plate & Coil Waste Issues of 1908 to 1915. His exhibit received 96 points and a large gold medal, finishing just one point behind Tillard’s top-scoring entry.
CANPEX jury chair Sam Chiu described this year’s competition as “fantastic,” praising the exceptional quality of exhibits and the participation of collectors from Canada, France and the United States.
Chiu was particularly encouraged by the number of new exhibits, estimating approximately nine or 10 were entered in the competition.
He attributed the strong showing to CANPEX’s established reputation and the calibre of its judging.
Of the 31 competitive exhibits, 18 received gold or large gold medals, representing nearly 60 per cent of the entries.
CANPEX, the Canadian National Philatelic Exhibition, is hosted by the Middlesex Stamp Club and brings together competitive exhibits and a dealer marketplace.
Canadian Stamp News will feature comprehensive results, special award winners and additional comments from the jury ad organizers in an upcoming print issue of CSN.