Heirloom Marriage Certificate Design Contest
Shortly after taking office in 2023, State Registrar Kristin Martino stopped at a garage sale with a friend while searching for antiques. Amongst the various treasures, Ms. Martino found a wooden picture frame, with no glass containing a dusty marriage certificate. Upon inspection, she saw that it was a decorative marriage license from 1886, commemorating the marriage of a young Salisbury, New Hampshire couple. Ms. Martino knew right away that she needed to rescue the document and give it new life. It has now been cleaned up and secured in a protective archival frame on display in her office at Vital Records.
Ms. Martino was moved by the license - so intricate and beautifully designed, meant to last for generations. She knew right then that she wanted to design an official heirloom marriage license for the state.
The New Hampshire Secretary of State, Division of Vital Records Administration, is hosting a design contest for the first heirloom marriage certificate. We are seeking a design that combines the joy of marriage with the beauty of New Hampshire. The winning design will be the official heirloom marriage license for the State of New Hampshire. It will be formatted to fit 11” x 14”, and will be available for purchase on January 1, 2026, for any marriage that occurred in the State of New Hampshire.
The contest will open on Friday, June 6, 2025, and the deadline for submission will be Friday, September 5, 2025.
Heirloom Marriage License Design Contest Rules
- Each contestant must be a resident of New Hampshire and be 18 years of age or older.
- Only one entry per contestant.
- Designs must:
- Be secular (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. (Please do not include any wording.)
Deadline: To enter the contest, the entrant must submit a signed permission form with their design as a .pdf or .jpeg file using the “Enter Contest” button below by 4:00pm on September 5, 2025.
Selection of Winners: A panel of local judges will choose one winner from a pool of finalists chosen by the Secretary of State’s office and the Division of Vital Records. The winning design will be used as the official heirloom marriage license for the State of New Hampshire and will become a cherished part of state history and family memories, for many years to come.
The winner will be asked to submit a picture of themselves, a short biography and a brief explanation of the inspiration for their work.