Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
Encyclopedia
The United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) evaluates potential subjects for U.S. postage stamps and reports its recommendations to the Postmaster General, who makes the final decision.
The Postal Service relies on CSAC to produce a balanced stamp program of approximately 25 – 30 stamp subjects each year. The annual stamp program is designed to reflect many different aspects of American culture and includes stamps honoring individuals, history, culture, sports, and science and technology. The vast majority of proposals submitted, suggesting many meritorious and meaningful subjects, do not result in U.S. postage stamps.
One of CSAC’s most important functions is to ensure that every subject proposal is given the same level of consideration. CSAC treats every proposal the same way, regardless of any professional lobbying efforts, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, and/or appeals to influential politicians.
The committee meets quarterly to consider subject proposals. Every submission received since the previous meeting is reviewed and considered based on the guidelines and criteria established for stamp subjects (see below). The selected subjects are researched and presented at the next meeting. CSAC’s non-binding recommendations are forwarded to the Postmaster General for approval.
Once subjects are finalized, CSAC reviews proposed artwork and designs. Given the lengthy review and design process, the public is advised to submit ideas at least three years before the anticipated date of issue.
1. As a general policy, U.S. postage stamps and stationery primarily will feature American or American-related subjects. Other subjects can be considered if they have had a significant impact on American history or culture.
2. The Postal Service will consider honoring living men and women who have made extraordinary contributions to American society and culture. These remarkable individuals through their transformative achievements in their respective fields will have made enduring contributions to the United States of America.
3. Commemorative stamps or postal stationery honoring individuals usually will be issued to celebrate births, anniversaries, and/or significant contributions.
4. A memorial stamp will be issued honoring each U.S. president following his or her death.
5. Events of historical significance shall be considered for commemoration on anniversaries in multiples of 50 years.
6. Themes of widespread national appeal and significance that reflect our nation’s inclusiveness, events, and persons will be considered. Official postal cancellations may be requested through the local postmaster for significant local events or commemorations.
7. Statehood anniversary commemorative stamps will be issued at intervals of 50 years from the date of the state's entry into the Union. Requests for observance of other state-related or regional anniversaries will be considered as subjects for postal stationery at intervals of 50 years from the date of the event.
8. Universities and other institutions of higher education will be considered for stamped cards in connection with the 200th anniversaries of their founding.
9. A subject will not typically be considered if a stamp on the same subject has been issued in the past 50 years. The exceptions to this criterion are traditional themes such as national symbols and holidays.
10. The stamp program commemorates positive contributions to American life, history, and culture; disasters will not be commemorated on U.S. postage stamps or stationery.
11. The following are not considered eligible for commemoration: government agencies, localities, non-profit organizations, associations, and similar entities. Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs.
12. Stamps may be issued for the major military services (Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines) on 50-year anniversaries (or multiples) of their current organizational structure. Stamps for the major service academies will be considered on a case-by-case basis for 50-year anniversaries (or multiples). Due to the large number of individual units with the military services, stamps will not be issued to honor individual groups or units within the military.
Purpose
Each year, the Postal Service receives thousands of letters and petitions from the American public proposing stamp subjects. Established in 1957, the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) reviews all of the proposals and selects stamp subjects that will be of enduring interest to large segments of the American population.The Postal Service relies on CSAC to produce a balanced stamp program of approximately 25 – 30 stamp subjects each year. The annual stamp program is designed to reflect many different aspects of American culture and includes stamps honoring individuals, history, culture, sports, and science and technology. The vast majority of proposals submitted, suggesting many meritorious and meaningful subjects, do not result in U.S. postage stamps.
One of CSAC’s most important functions is to ensure that every subject proposal is given the same level of consideration. CSAC treats every proposal the same way, regardless of any professional lobbying efforts, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, and/or appeals to influential politicians.
Members and workings
CSAC is composed of ten to fifteen members who are appointed by the Postmaster General. Members are chosen because of their expertise in education, art, design, history, and literature.The committee meets quarterly to consider subject proposals. Every submission received since the previous meeting is reviewed and considered based on the guidelines and criteria established for stamp subjects (see below). The selected subjects are researched and presented at the next meeting. CSAC’s non-binding recommendations are forwarded to the Postmaster General for approval.
Once subjects are finalized, CSAC reviews proposed artwork and designs. Given the lengthy review and design process, the public is advised to submit ideas at least three years before the anticipated date of issue.
Current Members
- Benjamin F. BailarBenjamin F. BailarBenjamin F. Bailar served as the United States Postmaster General from 1975 to 1978. He took office on February 16, 1975, succeeding Elmer T. Klassen...
(2006-present) - Cary Brick (2002-present)
- Donna de VaronaDonna de VaronaDonna Elizabeth de Varona is a former American swimmer of Mexican and Irish descent.-Swimming career:...
(2006-present) - Jean Picker FirstenbergJean Picker FirstenbergJean Picker Firstenberg has been the CEO and Director of the American Film Institute since 1980 till her retirement in 2007. After studying at Mount Holyoke College, she attended Boston University, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1958....
(2002-present) - Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. He was the first African American to receive the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He has received numerous honorary degrees and awards for his teaching, research, and...
(2004-present) - Dana GioiaDana Gioia-Poetry:It was as a poet that Gioia first began to attract widespread attention in the early 1980s, with frequent appearances in The Hudson Review, Poetry, and The New Yorker. In the same period, he published a number of essays and book reviews...
(2010-present) - Janet Klug (2010-present)
- Jessica HelfandJessica HelfandJessica Helfand is an author, columnist and lecturer on graphic design. She is the partner of William Drenttel of Winterhouse Studios, Winterhouse Editions and Winterhouse Institute located in Falls Village, Connecticut. She is a critic in graphic design at Yale University, where she earned her...
(2006-present) - I. Michael Heyman (1999-present)
- Eric Madsen (2010-present)
Former Members
(Partial List)- Douglas Arant
- Catherine Drinker BowenCatherine Drinker BowenCatherine Drinker Bowen was born as Catherine Drinker on the Haverford College campus on January 1, 1897, to a prominent Quaker family. She was an accomplished violinist who studied for a musical career at the Peabody Institute and the Juilliard School of Music, but ultimately decided to become a...
- Michael Brock
- Franklin Richard Bruns, Jr.
- William H. Buckley
- Bruce CattonBruce CattonCharles Bruce Catton was an American historian and journalist, best known for his books on the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular histories that emphasized colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses...
- Richard CoyneRichard CoyneRichard Coyne is Professor of Architectural Computing at the University of Edinburgh where he is Head of the School of Arts, Culture and Environment, which covers the disciplines of architecture, history of art and music...
- Meredith Davis
- Stevan DohanosStevan DohanosStevan Dohanos was an artist and illustrator of the social realism school, best known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and responsible for several of the Don't Talk set of World War II propaganda posters. He named Grant Wood and Edward Hopper as the greatest influences on his painting.Dohanos...
- C. Belmont FariesC. Belmont FariesC. Belmont Faries , of Washington, D.C., was a philatelist who dedicated his entire career to editing philatelic publications.-Philatelic editing:...
- Stanley H. Fryczynski, Jr.
- Sylvia Harris
- John M. Hotchner
- C. Douglas Lewis
- John Maass
- Karl MaldenKarl MaldenKarl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
- James J. Matejka, Jr.
- Phil Meggs
- Ervine MetzlErvine MetzlErvine Metzl was an American graphic artist and illustrator best known for his posters and postage stamp designs.-Biography:Ervine Metzl was born in Chicago in 1899 to Ignatz and Bertha Metzl, Jewish immigrants from Bohemia....
- James Michener
- Joan MondaleJoan MondaleJoan Adams Mondale is the wife of Walter Mondale, the 42nd Vice President of the United States and later the U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is an advocate for the arts....
- Virginia Noelke
- Mary Ann Owens
- Howard Paine
- B. Martin Pedersen
- Digger PhelpsDigger PhelpsRichard "Digger" Phelps is a former American college basketball coach, most notably of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team from 1971 to 1991. Since 1993, he has served as an analyst on ESPN.-Career:...
- Jerry PinkneyJerry PinkneyJerry Pinkney is an American illustrator of children’s books, and winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal. He has received a Caldecott Honor citation five times, the Coretta Scott King Award five times, four New York Times Best Illustrated Awards , four Gold and four Silver medals from the Society of...
- [Ron Robinson]]
- John P. Roche
- Clara Rodríguez
- [Jack Rosenthal]]
- Maruchi Santana
- George Stevens, Jr.George Stevens, Jr.George Cooper Stevens, Jr. is an American award-winning film and television writer, director, producer, and founder of the American Film Institute...
- Roger L. StevensRoger L. StevensRoger Lacey Stevens was an American theatrical producer, arts administrator, and a real estate executive. He is the founding Chairman of both the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , and National Endowment for the Arts .Born in Detroit, Michigan, Stevens was educated at The Choate School in...
- Bradbury ThompsonBradbury ThompsonBradbury Thompson was an influential American graphic designer and art director of the twentieth century.-Life and work:Communication Arts said of Bradbury "When it came to the blending of photography, typography and color, nobody did it better than Bradbury Thompson.....
- Norman Todhunter
- L. Rohe Walter
- Kurt Wiener
- Andrew WyethAndrew WyethAndrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
- James B. Wyeth
Selection guidelines
The U.S. Postal Service and the members of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) use the following criteria to determine the eligibility of subjects for commemoration on all U.S. stamps and stationery.1. As a general policy, U.S. postage stamps and stationery primarily will feature American or American-related subjects. Other subjects can be considered if they have had a significant impact on American history or culture.
2. The Postal Service will consider honoring living men and women who have made extraordinary contributions to American society and culture. These remarkable individuals through their transformative achievements in their respective fields will have made enduring contributions to the United States of America.
3. Commemorative stamps or postal stationery honoring individuals usually will be issued to celebrate births, anniversaries, and/or significant contributions.
4. A memorial stamp will be issued honoring each U.S. president following his or her death.
5. Events of historical significance shall be considered for commemoration on anniversaries in multiples of 50 years.
6. Themes of widespread national appeal and significance that reflect our nation’s inclusiveness, events, and persons will be considered. Official postal cancellations may be requested through the local postmaster for significant local events or commemorations.
7. Statehood anniversary commemorative stamps will be issued at intervals of 50 years from the date of the state's entry into the Union. Requests for observance of other state-related or regional anniversaries will be considered as subjects for postal stationery at intervals of 50 years from the date of the event.
8. Universities and other institutions of higher education will be considered for stamped cards in connection with the 200th anniversaries of their founding.
9. A subject will not typically be considered if a stamp on the same subject has been issued in the past 50 years. The exceptions to this criterion are traditional themes such as national symbols and holidays.
10. The stamp program commemorates positive contributions to American life, history, and culture; disasters will not be commemorated on U.S. postage stamps or stationery.
11. The following are not considered eligible for commemoration: government agencies, localities, non-profit organizations, associations, and similar entities. Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs.
12. Stamps may be issued for the major military services (Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines) on 50-year anniversaries (or multiples) of their current organizational structure. Stamps for the major service academies will be considered on a case-by-case basis for 50-year anniversaries (or multiples). Due to the large number of individual units with the military services, stamps will not be issued to honor individual groups or units within the military.