The Australian Philatelic Federation conducts a formal system of Awards which aim to recognise and honour philatelists and others who have made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of philately in Australia.  The APF's Award system comprises two main components - the Australian Philatelic Order Awards and the APF Services to Philately Award (at the National Level) or SPAN.

  2010 Australian Philatelic Order Presentation Dinner

The 2010 Australian Philatelic Order Presentation Dinner will be held on Saturday, 11 September (7pm for 7:30pm) at the Naval, Military and Air Force Club of South Australia, 111 Hutt Street, Adelaide.  Three distinguished philatelists will become Members of the Order this year and one Research Award will also be presented.

The cost to attend is $75 per head;  Dress is Black Tie.  To book your place at this prestigious occasion, e-mail Ross Wood (APF Secretary).

The History of the Australian Philatelic Order

The Australian Philatelic Order was established by the APF in 1994 to recognize and honour philatelists who have given distinguished service to Australian Philately.

The Awards are now an established highlight of the Australian philatelic calendar with a formal presentation ceremony held in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting of the APF.  Nominees are considered on the basis of their services to organized philately, which includes distinguished philatelic study and research. This includes judging, and promotion of philatelic and public dissemination including teaching.

The medal design and the collarette ribbons have special significance to Australian philately.  The design of the medal is that of the World's first stamp, the New South Wales embossed Lettersheet of 1838.  It is the Coat of Arms of William IV, engraved by Mr W Wilson and was struck in blind embossing on a sheet of writing paper approximately 330m x 210mm, to be folded and sealed to envelope size.  They were initially sold at 1/3 per dozen and intended to be used for the 1d local Sydney District, postal rate.  They were not popular, only small quantities were used and even today, unused examples are not common.  It is generally conceded that the introduction of this embossed Lettersheet established New South Wales, as the first Country in the world to accept prepayment of the postage by means of an impressed stamp.  The Ribbons each in thee color, also have philatelic significance.  The major Award, Fellow, is in the three colors red, blue and green representing the 1d, 2d and 3d "Sydney Views", the first issue of postage stamps in the Colony of New South Wales 1850, while the Ribbon for the lesser Award, member, is in orange, lilac and blue representing the 1d, 2d and 3d "Half Lengths", the first stamps issued in the Colony of Victoria, also 1850.

In addition, an APF Research Award was introduced in 1997 to ensure recognition of those who have made significant contributions in the field of research, who do not qualify for the award of Member or Fellow.

For Research, the medal design is symbolic of Australian philatelic research, while the Collarette Ribbon color is of philatelic significance in that it represents, in limited form, the complex shades and colors of Australia's most written about and extensively researched stamp - the 1914 KGV One Penny Red.

Australian Philatelic Order Recipients

For a full list of APO recipients and to read their citations, click here. 

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Service to Philately at the National Level (SPAN) Award

The APF Services to Philately Award (at the National Level) or SPAN was established by the Australian Philatelic Federation in order to allow the APF, State Councils, Philatelic Societies, the Philatelic Trade and other organisations and individuals to:

• recognise outstanding service in a specific field, area or program at the national level;

• acknowledge major contributions above and beyond the stated requirements; and

• honour the unwaivering commitment of those who encourage and inspire people of all ages to become involved in organised philately in a wide variety of ways.

The acronym SPAN reflects the wide span or range that this service can cover.  The Award is in the form of a plaque and certificate.

Guidelines for the Award for Service to Philately at the National Level (SPAN):

1. The APF Award for Services a the National level (SPAN) should be made on the basis of annual nominations from bodies, including the State Councils, APF, Philatelic Societies and the Philatelic Trade of up to two nominees each.
2. To be considered for the Award, the nominee must have made an outstanding contribution, in a leadership role, through commitment, resourcefulness and creativity to philately in a specific field, area or program at the national level for not less than five years. Note: National Level relates to the work done at this level not work, for an organisation that is a national body, unless the body has "chapters" or affiliates in more than one State.
3. The nomination must be accompanied by a statement from the nominating body which should include the following:

• The name of the nominee;
• The details of the contribution made by the nominee;
• The nominating body’s view of the contribution’s significance and importance;
• Other relevant points to support the nomination for the SPAN Award.

1. The award can only be made to the recipient once.
2. The nominating body should send to nomination to the APF Secretary by 30 March each year to allow an ad hoc Committee to be established, meet and grant the Award prior to the APF AGM.
3. Members of the APF Executive and Fellows and Members of the Australian Philatelic Order cannot be nominated for this Award. Awardees of SPAN however are not precluded from being a Fellow or Member of the Australian Philatelic Order.
4. An ad hoc committee should be convened by the APF Secretary annually to assess the nominations and to recommend persons to receive the Award to the APF Executive. The ad hoc committee should be chaired ex officio by the President and include ex officio the Youth and Philatelic Development Officers and two to three other people with relevant experience and expertise.
5. The decision of the APF Executive will be final.
6. The Awards shall be made by the APF and need not be granted annually.
7. There should be no limit on the number of Awards made in any one year, but the number should not result in a diminution of its status.
8. The award should be in the form of a plaque and a certificate. The presentation should be made at an APF AGM.
9. The guidelines should be published by the APF for distribution to the State Councils, Philatelic Societies and the Philatelic Trade.

All sectors of the Australian philatelic community are encouraged to consider suitable nominees at any time and to relay these to their respective philatelic body whether that be a State and Territory Council, APTA, or Australia Post.

SPAN Awardees

Click here to find out who has received an APF SPAN award.

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In addition to the APF's system of awards, most State and Territory Philatelic Council also make awards to those who have contributed significantly to philately in their respective State or Territory.