Rocky Mountain Stamp Show 2026
presented by
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PHILATELIC EXHIBITIONS (ROMPEX), INC.
An American Philatelic Society World Series of Philately Stamp Show
May 8-10, 2026, Denver, Colorado www.rockymountainstampshow.com
EXHIBITION PROSPECTUS
ELIGIBILITY
1. Any exhibitor is eligible to enter up to three exhibits by conforming to these rules and regulations. All exhibits must be entered on the official entry form or a copy thereof. Each exhibit must be entered on a separate form.
2. All material must be the property of the exhibitor or of members of an immediate family living in the same household.
3. Exhibitor’s names shall not appear on the faces of pages, though names and addresses are permissible on covers.
4. Exhibits that have won any of the following are ineligible for competitive awards at Rocky Mountain Stamp Show 2026: Grand Award at a WSP show (during the current exhibition year); StampShow Champion of Champions Award; One Frame Grand at any WSP Show within the past year; International Grand Prix (National, International, or Classes of Honor) or three International Large Gold Medals after the last APS Stamp Show.
5. Exhibitors are eligible for competition for the Novice Award if they have never exhibited before at an APS WSP exhibition or any other major national or international show.
6. Notwithstanding the statement of 4. above, exhibits entered by invitation for the George Brett Cup competition that have won a Grand Award at a WSP show (during the current exhibition year) will be accepted as a competitive exhibit for the GBC award only and not for other show or society awards.
EXHIBITS
1. Frames -- Frames hold sixteen 9” x 12” pages. Larger pages will be accepted upon written request to the Exhibits Coordinator. Each page must be consecutively numbered on the back and must be placed within a transparent cover, preferably closed on two sides and the bottom.
2. Entry Fees -- One-frame and two-frame exhibits are $30.00 per exhibit. All other exhibits are $15.00 per frame. Junior exhibitors (age 21 or younger as of January 1, 2026) may exhibit free of charge provided the exhibit is a reasonable number of pages in length. Failure to exhibit after notification of the exhibit’s acceptance will result in forfeiture of the entry fee. Completed entry forms with payment attached, payable to ROMPEX, must be received by the Exhibits Coordinator by April 15, 2026. Should exhibit frames be sold out before that date, entry fees will be returned. A youth exhibitor’s parent or guardian must also sign the youth’s entry form. The Exhibits Coordinator reserves the right to reject any exhibit in whole or in part, in which case entry fees will be refunded.
3. Title/Introductory Page and Synopsis -- Exhibitors must send a copy of their synopsis (no more than 3 pages) and introductory or title page (and exhibit plan for thematic exhibits), with their completed entry form. Electronic submission using PDF FORMAT ONLY, is required – do not send Jpegs or other formats. An entry received without a synopsis/title page will not be accepted until the both synopsis and title page are received. These pages may be preliminary.
4. Delivery of Exhibits – Mail-in exhibits will be sent to the following address (in red) to arrive no earlier than May 1, 2026 and no later than May 6, 2026 to Mr. Steve McGill, 10309 Brookhollow Circle, Highlands Ranch CO 80129. Exhibits may be personally delivered to the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E Quincy Ave, Aurora, CO 80016 between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026. Exhibitors who prefer to use other means should make arrangements with the Exhibits Coordinator.
5. Return of Exhibits -- No exhibit will be removed from the frames until the exhibit area has been cleared of all visitors after the exhibition closes at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, 2026. Exhibits not being returned by mail must be picked up by 4:30 p.m. Exhibitors not planning to retrieve their exhibits personally or via agents on Sunday, May 10, 2026 must prepay the return postage of their exhibits. RMSS will mail these exhibits after the show closes no later than May 15, 2026. Exhibits will be returned via USPS Express Mail or USPS insured Priority Mail or as specified by the entrant. Exhibits will not be returned via USPS Registered Mail. United Parcel Service is prohibited from carrying stamp exhibits and Federal Express prefers not to carry philatelic material.
JUDGING and AWARDS
Competitive exhibits will be judged in one of the three classes by a panel of six or more APS-accredited judges against the standards established for those classes, as described in the seventh edition of the APS Manual of Philatelic Judging. Decisions of the judges will be final. They may reclassify exhibit divisions within the General Class for the benefit of the exhibitors. All competitive exhibits will be awarded one of eight levels of achievement; Large Gold, Gold, Large Vermeil, Vermeil, Large Silver, Silver, Silver-Bronze and Bronze. The winner of the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show Grand Award will be eligible to participate in the APS Champion of Champions competition and the One-Frame Grand Award winner will be eligible to compete in the Great American Stamp Show (GASS) held in 2026.
General Class --For those exhibitors who wish to compete under the rules established by the APS for World Series of Philately exhibitions, exhibits must be from a minimum of two to a maximum of ten frames each.
Exhibit sub-classes within the General Class -- 1) Advertising, Patriotic, Event Covers, 2) Aerophilately,
3) Astrophilately, 4) Cinderella, 5) Display, 6) Experimental, 7) First Day Covers, 8) Maximaphily, 9) Picture Postcard, 10) Postal History, 11) Postal Stationery, 12) Revenue, 13) Thematic, 14) Topical, and 15) Traditional.
Youth Class -- For those exhibitors ages 21 or younger as of January 1, 2026.
One-Frame Class -- These exhibits will be judged separately. The judges will select the best one-frame exhibit for the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show One-Frame Grand Award.
Court of Honor and Non-Competitive Class -- The Exhibits Committee will accept non-competitive exhibits by special arrangement only. Court of Honor exhibits will be high-level exhibits selected by the featured attending societies, according to RMSS, et al., established criteria.
George Brett Cup competition --This is a separate competition and exhibits are by invitation only.
Physical awards are the responsibility of the Exhibitor. RMSS will ship an award with PREPAYMENT of shipping expenses by the exhibitor or agent.
SECURITY, LIABILITY, and OTHER INFORMATION
Neither Rocky Mountain Philatelic Exhibitions, Inc. (ROMPEX), its member clubs, any society participating in the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show, the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, Denver International Airport, nor any of their committees or employees shall be liable for any loss or damage arising from any cause whatsoever. Every precaution, including armed guards, will be provided to safeguard all exhibits against loss or damage while being mounted, in the frames, and during takedown. EXHIBITORS DESIRING INSURANCE MUST PROVIDE THEIR OWN COVERAGE.
Please pay particular attention to how you enter your name, exhibit title, and the brief (about twenty-five words) description. How you enter it on the entry form is how it will appear in the show program and publicity releases. It should not be merely a repetition of the exhibit title.
The exhibitor assumes the entire responsibility and liability for losses, damages, and claims arising out of exhibitor’s activities on the hotel or venue premises and will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the hotel and venue, its owner and its management company, as well as their respective agents, servants, and employees from any and all such losses, damages, and claims. If you have any questions, contact Steve McGill, RMSS 2026 Exhibits Coordinator, telephone 303-594-7029, or via e-mail at
INFORMATION RELATIVE TO 2026 ONLY
With six judges, RMSS 2026 is allowed 65 competitive exhibits. We have 424 frames. Currently, 150 frames are reserved for the George Brett Award invitees and 70 frames are reserved for the USCS & CPHS (50 & 20 respectively) until February 15, 2026. That leaves 204 frames that will be available for other exhibits. Exhibit entries will be handled in the order received with title page, synopsis and frame fees.
If exhibit applications from outside of George Brett and UPSS & CPHS are received before February 15, 2026 and exceed 204 frames, they will be placed into a pool. Once the committed frames are opened, exhibits will be accepted based on the order received until all frames have been filled or we have 65 competitive exhibits. All exhibitors will be informed of their status in the process.