Postal Service Announces 19 New Issuances for 2026

When the leaves start to turn and the temperatures drop, we know it’s autumn again and time for the U.S. Postal Service to pull back the curtain on some of its new issuances for 2026. So far there are 19! Most importantly, several of them will celebrate a big birthday: the United States turns 250 next year. 

While some of the new Forever® stamps delve into American history, others will fete revered national icons and an array of treasured traditions, from car culture to road trips to favorite vacation destinations. Colorado could fall into that category, but instead it becomes the subject of a 2026 stamp because it will be observing its 150th year of statehood. 

Where would we be without our heroes? Again in 2026, several stamps will raise up extraordinary Americans — trailblazers who have contributed to our rich heritage, whether through literature, art, cinema, or athleticism. 

We can also look forward to new stamps featuring flora and fauna, and applauding love and the yearning for international peace.

Stamps Honoring America the Beautiful

Two 2026 stamps focus on the 250th anniversary of the United States. Figures of the American Revolution hails 25 individuals whose ideas, leadership, and sacrifices were vital to achieving American independence and shaping the new nation. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the pane, which features original artwork by 13 contemporary artists.

The Postal Service also pays homage to the Declaration of Independence, the document that laid out America’s founding ideals. Juan Carlos Pagan designed and created the artwork for the stamp. Greg Breeding was the art director.

Bald Eagle: Hatchling to Adult offers a new take on this American icon and frequent stamp subject: realistic illustrations of bald eagles at different stages of life. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps using original paintings by ornithologist and illustrator David Allen Sibley. 

Honoring our national mammal while saluting historic philately, the American Bison 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. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp using Tom Murphy’s existing photograph and artwork from the century-old stamp, now printed in intaglio.

With the Colorado Statehood stamp, USPS raises up our 38th state, which has the distinction of having joined the Union 100 years after the U.S. declared independence from Great Britain. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp with an existing photograph by Colorado nature photographer John Fielder.

Stamps Highlighting American Pastimes

USPS commemorates another centennial in 2026, that 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 became a symbol of American freedom and adventure. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps using photographs by David Schwartz.

The car theme continues with Lowriders, five new stamps that celebrate the highly customized “low and slow” automobiles that trace their roots to the 1940s-era working-class Mexican American/Chicano communities of the American Southwest. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps using photographs by Philip Gordon and Humberto “Beto” Mendoza. Danny Alvarado’s custom pinstriping in the corner of each stamp and on the selvage evokes the detailed decoration on the most celebrated lowriders.

Sometimes we need A Day at the Beach to clear our minds and remember what is important. For millions of Americans, the beach is the ultimate vacation. Art director Derry Noyes says these stamps, with original artwork by Gregory Manchess, were inspired by her annual summertime trips to beaches in New England. 

2026 Stamps Celebrating Trailblazing Women

On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, founding father John Adams, with a plea that he and his colleagues “Remember the Ladies” as they drafted the new country’s code of laws. In 2026, USPS remembers trailblazing women, not only on the Figures of the American Revolution issuance mentioned above, but also in three other new issuances.

The 49th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors poet Phillis Wheatley (ca 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 America, and her work has been studied for its subtle commentary on her times. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with a portrait of Wheatley by internationally acclaimed artist Kerry James Marshall.

USPS also honors quiltmaker Harriet Powers (1837–1910), who stitched works that are celebrated as masterpieces of American folk art and storytelling. Born into slavery, Powers learned to read and sew as a child, later drawing upon local lore and the Bible for her “story quilts.” Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps and pane using details from Powers’s 1898 ”Pictorial Quilt,” from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.   

The 35th stamp in the Literary Arts series hails 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. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp using an original portrait by Mark Summers.

Stamps Honoring 20th-Century Standouts

The Postal Service will also recognize two 20th-century standouts with eye-catching stamps designed by art director Antonio Alcalá. Chinese American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker Bruce Lee (1940–1973) — the first Asian leading man in American film — captivated generations of audiences with his skill, charisma, and screen presence and inspired generations of fans. The stamp features a painting by Kam Mak of Lee executing his iconic flying kick. 

Muhammad Ali™ (1942–2016), aka “The Greatest,” was a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. As a boxer, activist, and humanitarian, he defied expectations to become a globally celebrated cultural icon. An AP photograph of Ali from the mid-1970s graces these two stamps.

Natural Beauty Stamps: Flora and Fauna

Highlighting beauty is one of the USPS stamp program’s several goals. While we dare say all the stamps are beautiful, that quality is uppermost in two flower issuances. 

Sunflowers, available in booklets of 20 and coils of 3,000 and 10,000, pays homage to this noble bloom, prized by both gardeners and pollinators as a dependable source of nectar and seeds for birds, bees, and butterflies. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp using illustrator Nancy Stahl’s original digital art. 

To create the images on the 4¢ Angel’s Trumpets stamp — and on the other low-denomination flower stamps released in 2024 — Harold Davis backlit the flowers on a light box and combined multiple photographic exposures, resulting in a luminous, transparent look. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp, to be sold in panes of 20 and coils of 10,000.

Who can resist a cute, furry animal! The Squirrels & Chipmunks in Snow stamps, issued in a booklet of 20, capture the resourcefulness and adaptability that help these animals thrive when temperatures drop. Art director Derry Noyes designed the issuance using photographs by Fiona M. Donnelly, Matthew Prosser, Martha M. Stewart, and Ross Taylor.

Stamps Carrying Universal Themes

Every year USPS issues stamps that carry more universal themes. In 2026, these include a new Love issuance designed by art director Ethel Kessler with illustrations by James Yang of pairs of stylized birds in a colorful world in which hearts appear, like love itself, in sweet and surprising ways. 

The International Peace stamp elevates the goal of international peace with an origami crane, a symbol of hope, peace, and healing. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp using a photograph by Sally Andersen-Bruce of a crane folded by artist and Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco. 

Andersen-Bruce also photographed the cut-paper mask of a horse, featured in the seventh stamp in the current Lunar New Year series. Artist Camille Chew created the mask. The Year of the Horse stamp was designed by art director Antonio Alcalá. Also referred to as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, Lunar New Year is one of the most widely celebrated cultural holidays in the world.