Europeans Vote on New Designs For Euro Banknotes

It's nature versus culture as the European Central Bank releases a shortlist of ten potential designs for a new series of printed banknotes, the first complete redesign since the Euro note was issued in 2002.

People have ten bill designs to choose from that draw on two different options for motifs. While old Euros bear images of historic architecture, the new Euros will feature either birds or cultural icons like Ludwig van Beethoven and Marie Curie. “Euro banknotes are more than a means of payment - they are one of the most tangible expressions of Europe,” says Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB). “Through designs that combine beauty and meaning, they will reinforce our shared identity.”

At the unveiling of the shortlist, Lagarde said the ECB narrowed down possible themes through a different public survey in 2023. More than 365,000 Europeans gave their opinions, and “out of that consultation, which included many themes, I can assure you, two themes emerged.” They were “rivers and birds” and “European culture.”

“Designers have worked to bring these themes to life,” Lagarde said. Last summer, the ECB called for submissions from graphic designers all over the European Union - netting more than 1,200 proposals. A jury selected 25 artists, who created the shortlisted designs. “And now we are turning it back over to you,” Lagarde said at the unveiling, “asking you to have your say on the proposed designs, five from each theme.”

The public has until mid-September to vote. The next few years will see the new Euro notes slowly enter circulation, joining the old ones, which will retain their value.

Images credit: European Central Bank

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