U.S. Stamps to Feature A Living Person For the First Time Ever

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Wanted, dead or alive: Famous Americans to appear on the next postage stamp.

Once an honor reserved for those historic Americans who’ve since passed on, the U.S. Postal Service is giving living figures the opportunity to be immortalized on a (formerly) valuable piece of Americana – the U.S. postage stamp.

The U.S. Postal Service has taken on quite stringent requirements for its stamp features: the person has to be dead at least five years, no matter their level of fame. And surprisingly, that’s a relatively recent change – before 2007 there was a 10-year grace period.

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But no longer. The USPS wants to put a living person on a new stamp, and they’re open to ideas. They’ll consider actors, athletes, musicians, writers – well, pretty much any nationally recognized person.

“This change will enable us to pay tribute to individuals for their achievements while they are still alive to enjoy the honor,” Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a statement. Pay tribute, sure. And pay their bills, too, we hope?

The Postal Service is inviting all Americans – well, those that still have a use for lickable postage – to submit their ideas for honorees. You can send your selections in through their website, Facebook and Twitter, or if you so prefer, by snail mail.

Nick Carbone is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @nickcarbone. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

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