The demonetisation issue continues to dominate the headlines. This week’s factoid is about some of the most colourful banknotes in the world. India got its own most recent piece of colourful currency in the pink/magenta ₹2,000 note a couple of weeks ago. It features various elements – Mahatma Gandhi’s image, the Mangalyaan (Mars mission), Swachh Bharat logo, peacock and lotus, India’s national bird and flower, and elephants, to name just a few. The new ₹500 note is a sober shade of grey.

The aesthetics of the currency has got some attention as well. Did you know there is an international award for banknotes? According to the 55-year-old International Banknote Society which confers the Banknote of the Year Award, “banknotes nominated must have been issued to the public (specimens and non-circulating currencies are ineligible) 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.” So far this year, the notes that have been nominated are Maldives’ 1,000 rufiyaa, Switzerland’s 50 Francs, Scotland’s and England’s 5 pounds, New Zealand’s $50, Georgia’s 50 lari, Belarus’ 100 rubles, the Australian $5 note, and Sweden’s100 kronor.

The winner of IBNS Banknote of the Year 2015 award was New Zealand’s $5 note. The main colours are brown and orange. The front carries the images of a penguin, Mount Cook/Aoraki and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, while the back carries the images of a daisy, another variety of penguin, and ferns. In 2014, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago’s $50 note got the award. In the previous three years, Kazakhstan’s 1,000 and 5,000 and 10,000 Tenge notes got the awards. Uganda’s 50,000 shilling note won in 2010.

Central banking institutions across the world have held competitions seeking new designs for banknotes. The Euro is the result of one such effort. In 1996, the European Monetary Institute (EMI) announced a competition and chose a series designed by Robert Kalina from Austria. The design was based on the “ages and styles of Europe” and featured windows, gateways and bridges, each representing a period of European history. In 2014, Norway picked two designs by two entrants for its banknotes. Design firm Snohetta entered pixelated landscapes for the sea-theme prescribed. The Metric System was the other firm whose designs were chosen.

Switzerland kicked off vertical designs for some banknotes, a trend later taken up by several countries including Mexico, Columbia and Bermuda.

In 2005, Manuel Krebs won the Swiss National Bank’s competition to guide the design of a series of banknotes. The public, however, opposed the winning design, featuring images of blood cells and embryos. So the bank chose the design that won next place.

Compiled by Sravanthi Challapalli

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