[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
U.S. Postal Service Provides Sneak Peek at 2026 Stamps
Pop culture icons and symbols of America are featured
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced many of the stamps it will release in 2026.
“This early preview of our 2026 stamp program underscores the Postal Service’s commitment to celebrating the artistry and storytelling that make stamps so special,” said Lisa Bobb-Semple, the organization’s Stamp Services director. “Each stamp is a small work of art — an entryway into a larger story that connects people, places and moments in history. This year, we continue to honor that legacy with a diverse range of subjects and designs, from beloved series and commemorative anniversaries to bold new releases that will inspire and excite collectors and admirers alike.”
This is a partial list, with additional stamps to be announced in the coming weeks and months. These designs are preliminary and may change.
4-cent Angel’s Trumpets
This 4-cent stamp follows the 2024 release of other low-denomination flower stamps: the 1-cent Fringed Tulip, 2-cent Daffodils, 3-cent Peonies, 5-cent Red Tulips and 10-cent Poppies and Coneflowers. Low-denomination stamps are available in panes of 20 and coils of 10,000. To create these images, photographer Harold Davis backlit the flowers on a lightbox and combined multiple photographic exposures, resulting in a luminous, transparent look. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed these stamps.
Muhammad Ali
Known as “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. He challenged the best fighters in the world — and the world itself. As a boxer, activist and humanitarian, he defied expectations to become a globally celebrated cultural icon. The stamps feature a 1974 Associated Press photo. The name “ALI,” alternating top to bottom, suggests aspects of his career: promotional posters, his legendary movement in the ring, and the chants that greeted him when he traveled the world. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps. The Muhammad Ali stamps will be issued Jan. 15 in Louisville, KY.
Love (2026)
Inspired by both mid-century American design and Japanese children’s book illustrations, James Yang created the art for this year’s Love stamps. His illustrations show pairs of stylized birds in a colorful world in which hearts appear, like love itself, in sweet and surprising ways. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps.
Colorado Statehood
In 2026, Colorado will be honored with a stamp for its 150th anniversary. Renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and the awe-inspiring beauty of the Rocky Mountains, our 38th state joined the Union 100 years after the United States declared independence from the United Kingdom. The Colorado Statehood stamp features a photograph of Jagged Mountain, located in the Weminuche Wilderness area of the San Juan National Forest. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with an existing photograph by Colorado nature photographer John Fielder (1950-2023). The Colorado Statehood stamp will be issued Jan. 24 in Denver.
Black Heritage: Phillis Wheatley
The 49th Black Heritage stamp commemorates Phillis Wheatley (circa 1753-1784), the first author of African descent in the American Colonies to publish a book. As an enslaved woman with an education and prominent social connections, Wheatley occupied a unique and remarkable place in Colonial Boston, and she is often called “the mother of African American literature.” Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with a portrait of Wheatley by internationally acclaimed artist Kerry James Marshall. The Phillis Wheatley stamp will be issued Jan. 29 in Boston.
Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse
In 2026, USPS will honor the Year of the Horse with the seventh stamp in the current Lunar New Year series. Lunar New Year — also referred to as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival — is one of the most widely celebrated cultural holidays in the world. Beginning in 2020, the Postal Service introduced its latest Lunar New Year stamp series, the third in the organization’s history. This collection features paper-cut masks by artist Camille Chew depicting each of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using a photograph of the mask by Sally Andersen-Bruce. The Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse stamp will be issued Feb. 3 in Houston.
Bruce Lee
As the first Asian leading man in American film, Chinese American martial artist, actor and filmmaker Bruce Lee (1940-1973) captivated audiences with his skill, charisma and screen presence and inspired generations of fans. The stamp artwork by Kam Mak features a painting of Lee executing his iconic flying kick. It is set against what Antonio Alcalá, the art director for USPS who designed the stamp, calls “a calligraphic yellow brushstroke,” a reference to the iconic yellow tracksuit Lee wore in “Game of Death.” On the right side of the stamp, BRUCE LEE and USA FOREVER are printed vertically and angled to appear as if Lee’s kick were breaking them in half.
Harriet Powers
Quiltmaker Harriet Powers (1837-1910), who learned to sew while enslaved on a plantation near Athens, GA, stitched works that are celebrated as masterpieces of American folk art and storytelling. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps and pane using details from Powers’s 1898 “Pictorial Quilt,” with its biblical scenes and depictions of local lore.
Lowriders
Low and slow: that’s the lowrider. Outfitted with smaller-than-factory wheels, a fancy paint job and a special hydraulic system, these customized automobiles trace their roots to the 1940s-era working-class Mexican American/Chicano communities of the American Southwest. Five models grace the stamps: a blue 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline named Let the Good Times Roll/Soy Como Soy; a blue 1958 Chevrolet Impala named Eight Figures; a red 1963 Impala named El Rey; an orange 1964 Impala named the Golden Rose; and a green 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme named Pocket Change. The Gothic-style typography and the pinstriping on the stamps and pane evoke the detailed decoration that is a hallmark of the most celebrated lowrider cars. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using photographs by Philip Gordon and Humberto “Beto” Mendoza.
Sunflowers
Available in booklets of 20, this issuance offers the public an attractive stamp for mail use and pays homage to the sunflower, prized by both gardeners and pollinators as a dependable source of nectar and seeds for birds, bees and butterflies. Illustrator Nancy Stahl, who has created more than 40 stamp designs for the Postal Service, says she used as few colors as possible to enhance the brilliance of the sunflowers within the small frame of the stamp. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using Stahl’s original digital art.
A Day at the Beach
For millions of Americans, the beach is the ultimate vacation. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, says these stamps were inspired by her annual summertime trips to beaches in New England. “These little snapshots are reminiscent of those experiences — a break from busy lives and demands throughout the year,” she says. Noyes was drawn to the vitality and “fresh, bold spontaneity” that Gregory Manchess brings to the oil paintings shown on the stamps. “He captures the essence of the subject, even at a very small scale,” she says. “Greg has managed to make these scenes instantly recognizable with just the right amount of visual information.”
Figures of the American Revolution
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, this pane pays tribute to 25 individuals whose ideas, leadership and sacrifices were vital to achieving American independence and shaping the new nation. Representing a range of roles and perspectives, from political thinkers and military leaders to writers, diplomats and everyday citizens, the honorees reflect the collective effort that defined the Revolution. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the pane, which features original artwork by 13 contemporary artists.
Route 66
With these stamps, the Postal Service celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66, the legendary highway that originally stretched about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Dubbed “The Mother Road” by author John Steinbeck, Route 66 forever changed how Americans travel and became a symbol of freedom and adventure. The pane of 16 stamps includes photographs by David Schwartz from each of the eight states Route 66 passes through, with each one repeated twice. The selvage features a photo by Schwartz of the open road rolling through hills in Crookton, AZ, along the longest continuous drivable stretch of Route 66 in the state.
Bald Eagle: Hatchling to Adult
Since the early days of the republic, these magnificent raptors have appeared on numerous stamps. For a new take on this American icon, the Postal Service will issue a pane of stamps featuring realistic illustrations of bald eagles at different stages of life. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using original paintings by ornithologist and illustrator David Allen Sibley. “While the bald eagle is known to virtually all Americans as our national bird, few people know much about them,” says Sibley. “Showing the series of life stages in these stamps is a simple and visual way to emphasize that the familiar adult eagle has already lived through a series of transitional plumages, finding food, migrating and surviving all of life’s challenges. I hope these stamps spark curiosity and a greater appreciation for the lives of eagles.”
American Bison
The buffalo’s epic story has played an enduring role in shaping America’s identity. Honoring our national mammal while saluting historic philately, this unique stamp features a contemporary photograph of a bison, inset with artwork evoking a 1923 stamp issued when the species was beginning to rebound from near extinction. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using Tom Murphy’s existing photograph and artwork from the century-old stamp, now printed in intaglio.
International Peace
Celebrating the goal of international peace, this stamp features a photograph of an origami crane — a global symbol of hope, peace and healing. The crane was folded by artist and Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco and photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.
Declaration of Independence
As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Postal Service pays tribute to the document that gave voice to America’s founding ideals. Designed and created by Juan Carlos Pagan, the stamp art features a typographic treatment of “1776,” the year the declaration was adopted. Each numeral takes the shape of a feather quill pen, a nod to the instruments used to sign the nation’s founding document. Pagan worked under the direction of Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS.
Sarah Orne Jewett
The 35th stamp in the Literary Arts series honors Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), a lifelong resident of Maine and a foundational figure in American literary regionalism. Her strong female characters have led to a renewed interest in her work, which includes hundreds of short stories as well as novels, poetry and essays. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using an original portrait of Jewett by Mark Summers, with the Maine coast as background, broken by a large ray of sunshine that evokes a scene from her best-known novel, “The Country of the Pointed Firs” (1896).
Squirrels & Chipmunks in Winter
This booklet of 20 stamps features three of winter’s most spirited small mammals: two eastern chipmunks, an eastern gray squirrel, and an American red squirrel. The designs capture the resourcefulness and adaptability that help these animals thrive when temperatures drop. From busy foragers to cozy hibernators, they remind us that winter can be full of charm. “When you see the booklet as a whole, the animals’ faces popping up from the snow has a playful effect,” explains Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS who designed the issuance. “The stamps are fun and uplifting. I hope they make people smile, especially in the heart of winter.”
