Design Contest is Next Step for New Euro Banknotes

The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched a public contest for the design of future euro banknotes – the next step in the euro banknote redesign process which will culminate in a decision in 2026.

The ECB first announced plans for a new design – the first in over two decades – in December 2021. In July 2023 it published a shortlist of six possible design themes, drawn up from an original list of 29 themes by the Theme Advisory Council (TAG) – an independent group established in 2021 with members drawn from fields such as history, natural and social sciences, the visual arts and technology. These six themes were put to a public survey, and the two frontrunners – European Culture, and Rivers and Birds – were announced in November 2023.