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.

PHILIPPINES SCORES 2022 IBNS BANK NOTE OF YEAR AWARD

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announces that its voting membership has for the first time selected the Philippines Central Bank to receive its annual prestigious "Bank Note of the Year Award" for 2022. 

The Philippines Central Bank “Oscar winning banknote” was printed by the Reserve Bank of Australia and its wholly-owned subsidiary Note Printing Australia. Polymer represents a dramatic shift from the cotton and abaca material previously used. The face of the note features two Philippines symbols, the critically endangered Philippine eagle and the holographic Sampaguita, national flower of the country. The back design of the note is unchanged from the previous 1000 Piso issue which features Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), country map, and South Sea pearl.  Polymer banknotes continue to be popular IBNS favorites and are now perennial award winners.

Banknote of 2023 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 2023 that has

Artistic Merit

Imaginative Design

New Security Features

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