Arabic version: مسابقة إعادة تصميم أوراق اليورو النقدية تجذب ملايين الأصوات

According to The Guardian, more than 6 million people voted within a week in a European Central Bank survey on whether redesigned euro banknotes should feature cultural figures or birds and waterways. The vote concerns the first full redesign since euro paper money entered circulation in 2002.

ECB chair Christine Lagarde unveiled 10 shortlisted proposals last week: five based on culture and five on wildlife. The designs cover the €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €200 notes, using colours and motifs set in advance by the central bank.

The cultural proposals include Maria Callas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie, Miguel de Cervantes, Leonardo da Vinci and Bertha von Suttner, alongside scenes of artistic and intellectual activity. Wildlife designs feature the wallcreeper, kingfisher, bee-eater, white stork, avocet and northern gannet across landscapes typical of Europe.

The ECB website survey closes on 21 September. Its feedback will inform, but not solely determine, the final choice, with a second quantitative survey and a jury of designers also expected to influence the decision. The ECB plans to select a winning design at the end of 2026, and a combination of the two themes is not expected.

The 10 finalists were selected from 1,241 applications submitted to an open call in 2025. The replacement notes will remain paper rather than polymer and are not expected to enter circulation until 2030 or 2031. Philippe Geoffroy, the ECB’s head of section for new banknotes, said the public wanted money that “feels European,” while the redesign also aims to strengthen security against counterfeiting and move away from neutral imagery.