My One-Page Exhibit!

The American Topical Association My One-Page Exhibit Program begins its fifth year of virtual exhibiting December 15 by expanding to 14 entry categories. The exhibit program is free to enter and open to all. ATA membership is not required to participate.

Rather than offering judging or popularity votes, the program focuses on expression, storytelling and sharing. The program’s reward is an opportunity to share new philatelic ideas and view a broad range of collecting interests. Exhibits are submitted as PDF file uploads on the ATA website during the submission period, ending February 15. 

Literally a single page, either 8.5” x 11” or 11” x 17” in size, or A4 and A3 in international sizes, the exhibit represents an accessible way for philatelic exhibiting newcomers to engage in this aspect of the hobby. For experienced one- and multi-frame competitive exhibitors, the My One-Page Exhibit Program provides a place to explore new themes and topics and share important stories.

The previous years’ entries realized nearly 850 exhibits from 20 countries around the globe. The more than 430 exhibitors’ entries were submitted by ATA members giving the global philatelic family a glimpse of our topical and other philatelic interests covered by a myriad of topics. 

A new category, gastronomy, joins 13 other category options for 2025 submission on the ATA website including animals, arts, culture, health and safety, nature, philately, plans, postal history, science and technology, sports, transportation, U.S. history, and world history. Exhibits are not limited to these categories, and new categories are added as needed to accommodate the exhibits received.

For example, last year’s exhibits shared how the discovery of ancient bones launched a scientific conundrum for paleontologists, introduced Andean musical instruments of Peru, suggested a sixth-century origin of today’s modern chess game, explored numerical symmetry in postmarks, and heralded the history of tequila. 

Narratives developed by exhibits can be serious, questioning, comic, and everything in between. Every exhibit offers an opportunity for viewers to be introduced to or learn more about a topic. For exhibitors, the My One-Page Exhibit Program provides a unique opportunity to try out storylines and do preliminary research in new or expanded collection areas, according to ATA Board President Dawn Hamman. 

“Philatelists love to relate the stories they learn as they explore, research, and expand knowledge in their collection field,” Hamman said. “ATA’s My One-Page Exhibit Program provides an open-source opportunity for collectors to share those stories globally and hear from other collectors with intersecting philatelic interests.”