Each year awards are made by the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL): for 2026 a new medal was awarded for the first time.
When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the ‘Royal’, as with many other organisations, started to provide presentations using Zoom. These still continue, alongside the more familiar ‘in person’ displays and presentations. The new medal, to be awarded annually for the best RPSL digital presentation, is known as The Frank Walton Medal. Frank, who sadly died in 2022, was a past President of the Society and former Editor of its journal, The London Philatelist, and gave the first such presentation to the Society on 23 April 2020. The first recipient of the new medal is Apratim Bhattacharya, whose presentation was ‘Armed Struggle of Indian Independence – Indian Independence League in Japanese Occupied SE Asia’.
The other recipients in 2026 are as follows.
- The Tapling Medal for the best article or supplement in The London Philatelist was awarded to Abhishek Bhuwalka FRPSL for his articles ‘Letters from Mauritius to Europe via India and Ceylon, 1843-1846’.
- The Tilleard Medal for the best afternoon display given to the Society went to David Feldman FRPSL for ‘Imperforate Classics of the World in Green’.
- The Lee Medal for the best afternoon presentation went to Bill Barrell FRPSL for ‘Great Britain Postal Reform and the Development of the Penny Value’.
- The London Medal for exceptional services to the Society was awarded to Richard West MBE, FRPSL for publicity work with media, and to Damian Devoy FRPSL for work within the Philatelic Collections.
- The Crawford Medal is awarded for the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately in book form. It has been awarded to New York City Foreign Mail 1845-1878 (Volume 1: 1845-1870) by Nicholas M. Kirke FRPSL.
Photo: Damian Devoy FRPSL (left), Richard West MBE, FRPSL, Simon Richards RDP, FRPSL, David Feldman FRPSL, and Bill Barrell FRPSL.
[Photo credit: RPSL]