Overview
The Christmas stamps for 2026 feature paintings by two artists from the Indigenous community of Nauiyu on the Daly River, about 230 kilometres south of Darwin. They offer Aboriginal Australian interpretations of two crucial episodes from the biblical Christmas story: the Archangel Gabriel telling Mary that she has been chosen to be the mother of Christ (Christina Yambeing's Annunciation), and the Nativity (Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus) in Gracie Kumbi’s Bright Star.
The minisheet shows a detail from The Gift, a painting by the Reverend Robyn Davis, a Waddi Waddi woman from Balranald in New South Wales. In this nativity scene, the three silhouetted shepherds walk towards the Holy Family, while emus – representing the three wise men – approach from the east.
The stamp pack shows another painting by Gracie Kumbi, Three Hunters, in which Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child, seated at a riverside camp site, are approached by their first visitors: a trio of traditional Aboriginal hunters.
Stamps in this issue
Bright Star
In Gracie Kumbi's Bright Star, Mary has a dilly bag, Joseph holds a spear, and the infant Jesus sleeps in a coolamon. Above them the Christmas star shines brightly against a rotating Milky Way, while below, all of Earth’s creation – represented by animals, plants and artefacts – looks towards the Holy Family.
Annunciation
Christina Yambeing's Annunciation shows the Archangel Gabriel telling Mary that she will soon become the mother of Christ, the Son of God. Gabriel’s sweeping wings promise protection, while Mary’s outstretched arms suggest both wonder and willing acceptance of this astonishing news.
Technical specifications
Issue date | 2 November 2026 |
Issue withdrawal date | 31 December 2027 |
Denomination | 1 x 65c, 1 x $3.50 International |
Stamp & Product Design | Sharon Rodziewicz, Australia Post Design Studio |
| Illustration | ©Gracie Kumbi (Bright Star) and ©Christina Yambeing (Annunciation), both represented by Merrepen Arts |
|---|---|
Printer: gummed | RA Printing |
Paper: gummed | Tullis Russell 104gsm Red Phosphor/Blue PVA Stamp Paper |
Printing process | Offset lithography |
Stamp size (mm) | 26 x 37.5 |
| Minisheet size (mm) | 158 x 80 |
Perforations (mm) | 14.6 x 13.86 |
Sheet layout | Module of 50 (2 x 25) |
FDI Postmark | Merrylands, NSW 2160 |
FDI Withdrawal date | 30 April 2027 |
This content was produced at the time of the stamp issue release date and will not be updated.