Boston 2026 World Expo has officially been granted “Patronage” status by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP), elevating the international stamp exhibition to the highest category of General World Exhibition.
The agreement was finalized this past weekend during EuroPhilEx in Birmingham, U.K., following meetings between FIP, Boston 2026, and American Philatelic Society officials.
Often described as the “United Nations of philately,” the FIP represents nearly 100 national philatelic organizations worldwide. It establishes standards for international-level exhibiting and provides various levels of structural support for show organizers, with Patronage being the most prestigious.
“Achieving patronage status guarantees all participants full rights, privileges and opportunities through the FIP system of international exhibitions,” said Boston 2026 President Yamil Kouri. “Judges will be 100% FIP accredited, and all awards will be recognized and recorded by the FIP in its official Awards List. This also means qualified prior FIP large gold winners may take part in our World Stamp Championship Class competition. It brings together the world’s greatest exhibits under one roof to determine Grand Prix National, Grand Prix International and Grand Prix d’Honneur winners.”
Boston 2026 was initially granted FIP recognition status in 2022. Since then, organizers have worked to secure full patronage, a milestone now achieved with the official endorsement of both FIP and Boston 2026.
Reinaldo Macedo of Brazil, previously named the FIP Liaison Officer for the event, has been appointed as the official FIP Consultant. Many current and former FIP officials are expected to attend the Boston show.
Exhibitors are reminded that all philatelic exhibit applications must be submitted electronically through the Boston 2026 website no later than Sept. 30, 2025. Accepted applicants will be notified by their national commissioners in November. The deadline for literature exhibit applications is Jan. 31, 2026.
The Boston 2026 World Expo will take place May 23–30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. For full details, visit Boston2026.org or follow the event on Facebook and Twitter. Interested parties may also sign up for email updates on the website.