New euro banknotes: the ECB reveals the finalists and launches a public consultation

On Thursday, the European Central Bank unveiled the shortlisted designs for the competition to design the next series of euro banknotes and launched a survey, inviting citizens across Europe to help make the final choice. Europeans will therefore be asked to give their views on the five sets of banknotes for each of the two themes selected for the competition among illustrators launched in recent years. The proposals are based on two different themes – ‘European culture’ and ‘Rivers and birds’ – and on the decorative motifs chosen to depict them. “Euro banknotes are not merely a means of payment: they are one of the most tangible expressions of Europe. By combining beauty and meaning, they will strengthen our common identity,” said ECB President Christine Lagarde. The design proposals were shortlisted as part of an EU-wide competition.

According to the first theme, ‘European Culture’, the 5-euro note features Maria Callas, one of the most famous sopranos of the last century, whilst the German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven will appear on the 10-euro note, the Franco-Polish physicist and chemist Marie Curie on the 20-euro note, the Spanish writer and author of "Don Quixote", Miguel de Cervantes, on the 50-euro note; one of the fathers of the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, on the 100-euro note; and the Austrian writer Bertha von Suttner on the 200-euro note. The nature theme, "Rivers and Birds", features a mountain spring on the 5-euro note, a kingfisher near a waterfall on the 10-euro note, a river valley with a colony of bee-eaters on the 20-euro note, on the 50-euro note a meandering river with a white stork flying overhead, on the 100-euro note a pied avocet – a wading bird with black-and-white plumage and a distinctive ‘sabre-shaped’ beak – scanning the surface of a muddy plain, whilst on the 200-euro note a northern gannet in flight over ocean waves. As the ECB itself had decided in 2016, 500-euro banknotes will no longer be issued, although they remain legal tender and can be used both for payments and as a store of value; they may also be exchanged at the central banks of the euro area without any time limit. All these proposals will be assessed by a jury of experts at the end of April 2026.

The ball is now in the court of European citizens. The Governing Council of the ECB has decided to conduct an online survey on the ten proposals, which will remain open until 21 September 2026. In parallel, an independent research firm will carry out a survey using the same questions amongst a representative sample of citizens in the euro area. Once the final design has been selected, the ECB will publish a report on the results of both surveys. The final decision on the design of the new banknotes is expected towards the end of the year. The Governing Council will adopt it on the basis of a combination of inputs: the jury’s conclusions, a technical assessment and the results of the two surveys. The selected proposal will then be developed and tested before going into production. The new banknotes are expected to be put into circulation in the following years.

The Central Bank assures us that the previous series will retain their value and continue to circulate alongside the new series. This is the first complete redesign of euro banknotes since their introduction in 2002. The ECB explains that the regular issuance of new series allows technological advances to be utilised to stay one step ahead of counterfeiting techniques. The new banknotes will feature more advanced security features, designed in part to make them easier to recognise and use for people with visual impairments. Frankfurt also aims to reduce their environmental footprint by making them more resistant to wear and tear and by using more sustainable materials and production processes.