Polar Exhibitor Guidelines for Polar Salons

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1. Definition

The Polar Class includes philatelic material concerning human activities and entities (in the physical and natural sciences, geography, etc.) involving or related to the earth’s Polar regions (Arctic and Subarctic, Antarctic and Subantarctic).

Its major philatelic areas are: expeditions (for geographic and scientific exploration, social reasons, commercial, adventure & tourism), polar aerophilately (record and ordinary actual, anticipated or aborted flights with at least one actual or intended polar leg), military and conflicts (war, readiness or civil disturbance), traditional (stamps, postmarks, postal history of polar entities) and thematics (flora, fauna, personalities, events such as Northwest Passage, etc.).

2. Polar Regions

2.1 Arctic: Places or parts of places of the northern Polar and subpolar regions of the earth. More precisely:

1. Water/ice, land and overhead space extending south from the North Pole toward Northern mainland Europe, Russia and North America.
2. In North America: Canada’s Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Labrador, Newfoundland, far northern parts of Ontario and Quebec, Northern section of pre-1905 western provinces, plus Alaska in the USA.
3. In Europe: Northern regions of Sweden, Norway, Finland and islands adjacent or north of these sectors (Svalbard, Jan Mayen, etc.), plus all of Greenland. Despite its name, Iceland is not included, except for its World War II military mail.
4. In Russia: North and Northwest Russia and Siberia, including nearby islands off Siberia (i.e., Kuriles, Sakhalin and those north of the Russian mainland).
5. In Asia: The border regions of Manchuria and Mongolia adjacent to Siberia.

2.2 Antarctic: Places or parts of places of the southern Polar and subpolar regions of the earth. More precisely:

1. Entire Antarctic continent and its adjacent islands and island chains (e.g., Balleny, Scott, South Orkneys and South Shetlands, Peter I, etc.).
2. In the South Pacific Ocean: New Zealand’s Campbell Island and Auckland Islands and Australia’s Macquarie.
3. In the Indian Ocean: South Africa’s Marion and Prince Edward Islands, France’s Kerguelen, St. Paul and Amsterdam, as well as Crozet and Australia’s Heard Island.
4. In the South Atlantic Ocean: British possessions of South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, Gough, Falklands, Norway’s Bouvet Island, extreme southern Argentina and Chile south of latitude 50^o South (including Magellan Strait, Tierra del Fuego and its adjacent islands). Historically, Tristan da Cunha also is included.

2.3 These maps help show the delineation:

3. Principles of Exhibit Composition

Polar exhibits may include postal, historical and associated material (3.2) related to Polar activities and entities.

3.1 Postal and related material

3.1.1 Adhesives

Stamps issued by the postal administrations of the Polar regions or emissions by other postal administrations with a polar relationship or portraying a Polar theme. Also accepted are local post stamps (e.g., from polar Scandinavia and Svalbard). Vignettes and revenues/revenue stamped paper also are included, especially if they directly are associated with authorized polar activities (e.g., expeditions, flights and polar entities).

3.1.2 Postal material

That which is intended to further communications (e.g., covers, postcards, postal stationery, telegrams, aerogrammes/airletters, QSL cards, courier-delivered mail, etc.), especially if from, to or about those participating or associated with a polar activity.

3.1.3 Cancellations, postmarks and cachets

Studies of postmarks (including meters) from polar locations and scientific base post offices, onboard ships, railways, auxiliary, paquebot and registration markings and labels, to include that from military bases and units with postal support. Philatelic mail with no trace of mailing (handback first day covers, maximum cards, and commemorative covers) must be used in moderation, except where essential to the exhibit’s story or purpose.

Forgeries, fakes and “third party” markings (i.e., markings or cachets from nonparticipants found on polar mail) are acceptable if properly identified and are pertinent to the exhibit’s purpose.

Markings may be scanned for display on an exhibit page if they need emphasis or are hidden (e.g., on the reverse of an item). Such scans must be at least 20% larger or smaller than the original and identified as printed or pasted scans.

3.2. Historical and related material

Polar exhibits may contain photographs, maps or charts, drawings, letters, decrees, flat artifacts, if absolutely necessary to further the exhibitor’s story or illuminate a point being made. This ancillary material must be discreetly employed, original (unless justified and identified as a reprint or copy) and have a direct relationship to the matter at hand. Use of such material must be carefully assessed to ensure that it is appropriate, essential and does not overshadow the postal/philatelic material.

4. Title Page

Only one page (title page) is permitted to have no ancillary or postal/philatelic material. It must present the exhibit’s PURPOSE, how that will unfold (TREATMENT), and indicate what are its major parts (PLAN). The Title must be relevant to what is being done and appropriate for a philatelic exhibit. Cleverness is encouraged. Cutesiness is not.

Exhibitors strongly are encouraged to submit a (not more than a two-page, four-sides) synopsis that allows the exhibitor to “talk” with the judges about what they are attempting, how that is being done and highlights what the exhibitor feels judges especially should know or better appreciate in the exhibit. It should amplify and broaden, rather than being a summary or repetition of the title page.

References/bibliography need not be placed on the title page. If omitted from the title page (to allow room for more information or a balance of “white space”), it must be entered in the synopsis.

5. Evaluation criteria

Treatment and importance - 30%

Treatment - 20 points

Is the material organized and developed with a logical introduction, story line and advance toward a logical conclusion? Does the exhibit reflect the title, purpose and scope proposed on the title page? Is the material and supporting text concise, yet complete?

Importance - 10 points

What is the level of “challenge” for both the subject and its supporting material? How significant is the chosen subject and its supporting material in philately and especially polar philately?

Knowledge and research - 35%

Knowledge - 15 points

Do the selected material and manner of presentation reflect an understanding of the subject,well as those pertinent sources containing information that should have been accessed for this display. Are both philatelic knowledge and subject knowledge evident in the narrative and method of presentation.

Research – 20 points

Has the exhibitor shown keen analysis of the material, drawn new conclusions, or provided new information or discoveries?

Condition and rarity - 30%

Condition - 10 points

Is the best possible condition shown given the period and circumstances to which the material was exposed? Restored and repaired items must be identified. Simple cleaning off dirt and grime from old covers and artifacts is permissible and need not be mentioned.

Rarity - 20 points

Are particularly elusive items included that are vital for a complete showing of the subject? Does the exhibit contain especially challenging items or material of particular importance because of its scarcity, allure and high desirability?

Presentation – 5%

Presentation - 5 points

Does the material stand on its own without distracting borders, embellishments or paper color? Is the text concise and of a size that is readily legible? Does the format avoid being monotonous, while not bringing attention to itself at the expense of the material?

Total – 100%

Total - 100 points

revision March 2026