The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched a public design competition to design the next generation of euro banknotes. Designers who wish to participate in the competition can submit their application documents until August 18, 2025, 12:00 CET.
With this competition, the ECB wants to set a strong example for the combination of art, culture and functionality and invites the European design community to actively shape the future of euro banknotes.
Selection of themes and motifs with the participation of citizens
The Governing Council is having the two themes “European Culture: Common Cultural Sites” and “Rivers and Birds: Strong through Diversity” developed in the competition. “European Culture” emphasizes the rich cultural heritage of our continent and pays tribute to important personalities. “Rivers and Birds” focuses on ecological diversity and the resilience of nature. The focus is on rivers as the lifelines of Europe and birds as symbols of freedom and biodiversity.
These two topics were developed by two committees consisting of experts from different disciplines and different euro countries. The Governing Council of the ECB selected them from several proposals, taking into account the opinions of citizens. 365,000 citizens from all euro countries took part in the public consultations.
Design competition starts
The application phase of the design competition starts today. All interested parties can express their interest and must prove their suitability on the basis of their application documents. The relevant requirements are described in detail in the competition documents. Up to 20 people per topic will be selected from all applications and invited to the second phase of the competition. The selected applicants will then develop concrete designs for the new banknote series. An independent jury of experts will then assess these up to 40 design proposals in order to select up to five designs per theme. The Governing Council will then select the winner from this shortlist, but not without first asking the public for their opinion once again. The Governing Council is expected to make its decision at the end of 2026. However, it will be another few years before we have the new banknotes in our wallets.
Application deadline: August 18, 2025