Are you an artist who loves love and New Hampshire? Then you should enter the design contest for the first official heirloom marriage license for the state.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, the idea for an official heirloom marriage license came from a garage sale in 2023. There, State Registrar Kristin Martino found a decorative marriage license from 1886 that commemorated the marriage of a couple from Salisbury, New Hampshire.
She was so moved by the license, the website said, that she wanted an official one for the state.
Now, the New Hampshire Secretary of State is looking for a design that “combines the joy of marriage with the beauty of New Hampshire.”
The winning design will act as the official heirloom marriage license for New Hampshire for years to come, becoming “a cherished part of state history and family memories.”
What is a heirloom marriage certificate?
An heirloom marriage certificate is a commemorative certificate meant for framing and displaying in your home. They are not legally valid.
New Hampshire currently offers an heirloom birth certificate.
Not all states have heirloom certificates, but states like Texas and Alaska do.
Who can enter the contest?
Artists must be a resident of New Hampshire and be 18 years old or older. Contestants can only enter one design each.
What are the rules for the designs?
According to the Secretary of State’s office, designs must:
Be non-religious.
Have a focus on New Hampshire.
Not be inappropriate or offensive.
Be an original design of your own creation.
Be a border design or a design that is light enough to accommodate the couples’ names, date of marriage and place of marriage.
Must not include any wording.
When is the deadline?
The contest is open now, and you must submit your design by 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. You will have to submit a signed permission form with your design.
The Secretary of State’s office and the Division of Vital Records will choose the finalists, and a panel of local judges will choose one winner from that group.
You can find more details and enter the contest here.
When can I get the new heirloom marriage certificate?
The new design will be available for any couple that gets married in New Hampshire beginning Jan. 1, 2026. It will cost $25.
Couples will still receive the state issued marriage license.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH artists needed: Enter contest to design heirloom marriage license
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