[press release]
AAPE Announces Youth Grand Champion of Champions for 2018

Darren Corapcioglu was awarded 2018 Youth Grand Champion at the APS StampShow/ATA NTSS Awards Celebration in Columbus, OH, August 11. The award was presented by the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE).

Darren’s thematic exhibit, “The Universe,” qualified by winning the Youth Grand Award at NAPEX 2018. He is 18 years old and lives in Germantown, MD. Darren also won the title in 2016 but improved his exhibit by the required 25 percent to be eligible. [He just completed his one-year Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship; his biography is here and he is included in the recent Virtual Stamp Club radio feature on the 2017-2018 Fellows.] He has competed internationally.

The Reserve Grand Award was won by Amelia Kelbert from Calgary, Canada, with her thematic exhibit, “The World of the Monarch Butterly (Doneus Plexippus).”

The AAPE Youth Grand Championship is awarded annually at StampShow. This year, eight youths, ranging in age from 10 to 18 qualified and competed – each having won a Youth Grand Award at an APS World Series of Philately Show. The participants vie for 19 awards donated by WESTPEX, Collectors Club of Chicago, Pinnacle Stamp Club, American Topical Association, International Society of Worldwide Collectors, John Hotchner, Don Smith and Ken Martin.

This year’s judges were Mark Schwartz and Bill Schultz.

Other award winners are listed at www.aape.org.