IBNS Banknote of the Year

The IBNS Banknote of the Year award is an initiative of the IBNS to recognize an exceptional banknote issued each year.

IBNS Members can nominate a Banknote for the award by contacting the Banknote of the Year Co-Ordinator (banknoteoftheyear@theibns.org). Banknotes nominated must have been issued to the public (specimens and non-circulating currencies are inelligble) for the first time during the year of the award, and must have artistic merit and/or innovative security features, and be in general circulation. When nominating a note, please provide your reasons for nomination, and if possible, a scan of the front and back of the note. Nominations for the award will be accepted up to the 31st January of the following year. For full terms & conditions of the award, please see here.

Once nominations have closed, the winner will be decided by a vote of the IBNS, who will consider the artistic merit, design, use of colour, contrast, balance, and security features of each nomination.  The winner will be announced at the the first IBNS Board meeting of the year.

Eastern Caribbean Central Bank $2-Dollar Note voted 2023 IBNS Bank Note Of Year

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announces that its voting membership has for the first time selected the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to receive its annual prestigious “Bank Note of the Year Award” for 2023. With almost 100 new banknotes released worldwide during 2023, only 15 were deemed of sufficiently new design to be member nominated. From the onset of voting the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank $2 note was the overwhelming favorite.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank “Oscar winning banknote” is intended to present the hope of a new, confident and exciting future with a colorful eye-pleasing design combining sports with an environmental motif.  The banknote was designed and manufactured by De La Rue in close collaboration with the ECCB. The design approach was to push the integration of the polymer substrate, print and features to deliver a truly compelling banknote leveraging combinational technologies and the Safeguard substrate design flexibility.

The front of this bright multi-colored yellow, red, blue, and purple note features local cricket star Sir Issac Vivian Alexander “Viv” Richards, also known as “The Master Blaster” as well as the 40th Anniversary bank logo, turtles, and fish

The back of the vertically designed note combines fish, coral, turtles and a map of the islands in contrasting bright blue. The Central Bank chose this design as a symbol of hope to inspire greatness in the people of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, as well as all youth and people around the world.

Banknote of 2024 Nominations

The following notes have so far been nominated for the Banknote of the Year Award.

Do you know of a Banknote which will be introduced into circulation in 2024 that has

Then why not nominate that note by email to banknoteoftheyear@theibns.org including your IBNS Membership number and if possible, a scan of the front and back of the note.

Previous IBNS Banknote of the Year Winners

Banknote of 2022
Phiilippines 1000-Peso Note

View the other nominations