Exhibitor's playbook

From choosing the subject to after the jury, following the FIP regulations.

Choose your subject

You will work on this exhibit for years, so start with what you love.

Start with your passion
A subject you love keeps you going through years of research and collecting. Think of your profession, another hobby, or a place you are tied to.
Look at what you have
Which pieces do you keep returning to? Your subject often starts there.
Narrow the scope
One post office, one route or a defined period is stronger than a general subject.
Test the material
Can you find enough material for the frames? Are there references on the subject?

One frame holds 16 sheets, in 4 rows of 4.

GREX gives the sizes as 23 × 29.7, 46 × 29.7 and 31 × 29.7, so check the exhibition rules before you print your sheets.

This is how frames are allotted at FIP exhibitions. The Youth and Literature classes have their own rules.

Exhibit	Frames
First time	5
Up to 84 points (Vermeil)	5
85 points (Large Vermeil) or higher	8
85 points or more at a qualifying Recognition Exhibition	8
FIP Championship class	8

Exhibits with fewer than five frames, except in the Youth class, receive points from 60 to 100, with certificates and souvenir medallions only.

The road from five frames to eight, and from national to world level.

From 85 points
The exhibit qualifies for eight frames.
The very next exhibition
A qualifying exhibit shows eight frames at the next exhibition.
When material is limited
It may show 5 to 7 frames for a maximum of 2 more times, within 36 months of the qualifying medal.
Before your first world exhibition
You need 75 points or a Vermeil medal at a national exhibition, within the five years before your first application.

What the jury looks for at each stage.

Idea and plan
- One title that matches the pages.
- The plan on the first page: title, purpose, scope and chapters.
- Postal history: an introductory sheet carries the plan.
- Thematic: without the plan page, 3 points are lost.
Research and material
- List the key sources.
- State new research on the sheets.
- Say exactly what makes the item rare. Rarity is not price.
- Select, do not show everything.
Writing and layout
- Every text adds to what the item says.
- Each sheet, row and frame is balanced.
- Avoid crowding, overlapping items and photos bigger than the items.
- Measure every item before mounting, and build the first page last.
From a note to a step
- Unclear plan: put it on the first page.
- Rarity without proof: write what makes it rare.
- Repeated items: remove them.
- Too much text: cut what does not add.

One hundred points, and the points set the medal.

Class	Treatment	Knowledge	Condition, rarity	Presentation
Traditional	30	35	30	5
Postal history	30	35	30	5
Postal stationery	30	35	30	5
Thematic	35	30	30	5
Postcards	30	35	30	5
One frame	30	35	30	5