David Straight Award

For the best paper presented at the Winton F. Blount Postal History Symposium that year.

The award includes a stipend of not more than $500 to cover the winner’s expenses to attend the following Postal History Symposium.

The award is named for David Straight. David was one of the original organizers of the Winton F. Blount Postal History Symposium and served on the symposium committee until his untimely death in 2012. A librarian training and vocation, David was an avid philatelic researcher and a prolific writer. He was an ardent supporter of philatelic libraries and a driving force behind the creation of the Philatelic Union Catalog, which now bears his name. In addition to the many behind-the-scenes roles he played in the philatelic world, David also served on the APS board and as an APRL trustee. He was inducted into the APS Hall of Fame in 2014.

Award Criteria:

The David Straight Award recognizes the author(s) of the best paper presented at the Blount Postal History Symposium that year. Selection is based on the written paper as submitted and the quality of presentation, including visual displays, at the symposium. The paper should further the symposium’s goal of integrating philately and the history of postal operations into the broader context of American and world history.
The David Straight Award Committee has the sole responsibility of recommending a nomination to the Board of Trustees of the American Philatelic Research Library. The Board retains the privilege of approving or rejecting any recommendation or naming an awardee themselves.

Eligibility:

The paper must have been accepted for presentation and presented at the Postal History Symposium sponsored by the APS and APRL. The author need not be living at the time of the nomination.
The paper can be new research or build on previous work with new and interesting ideas. The work must have broad appeal for all of the symposium’s intended audience of philatelists, scholars, and the public.
Paid employees of the APS, members of the APS and APRL boards, members of the Postal History Symposium committee, and members of the David Straight Award Committee are ineligible for consideration of the award.