ECB invites residents to give feedback on 10 potential new euro note designs
Copyright: European Central Bank 2026
By
Olivia Logan
Simone Jacobs
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A shortlist of 10 potential new euro note designs has been revealed. The European Central Bank (ECB) is inviting members of the public to give feedback on the designs before September 21.
Public survey to give feedback on new bank note designs
After receiving more than 1.200 design proposals during an EU-wide design contest for a new series of euro bank notes, the ECB has narrowed it down to a shortlist of just 10 designs. The design proposals are based on two themes: European culture and rivers and birds.
Now, anyone can take part in a public survey and have their say on which design should be selected for the new series. You can see the bank note mock-ups here and take part in the survey, which runs until September 21, here. An independent research company will also run a parallel survey with the same questions, but only citizens of the EU can take part.
Once the survey has closed, the governing council will choose the final design based on feedback from the jury that chose the 10 shortlisted designs, the public and independent surveys, and a technical assessment.
The chosen design will be announced by the end of the year, and the new series of notes will enter circulation in the coming years.
First complete euro note redesign since 2002
In a press release, ECB board member Piero Cipollone said the first complete euro note redesign since 2002 was part of a “long-term effort to ensure that cash remains secure” and to “preserve citizens’ access to public money and their freedom to choose how to pay”.
The ECB said that the new bank note designs will use more advanced technology which makes counterfeiting more difficult. The notes should also be more durable than the previous series, and use “more sustainable materials and production processes”.
While cash is still considered the most popular means of payment in Europe, it is not used very often in the Netherlands. Just one in five payments is made using cash, with people preferring digital payment methods instead.
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Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more
Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more