Hong Kong Series

The Best New Banknote Series -award went to Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) for the 2018 Series. The notes themselves are being issued by the three note issuing banks (NBIs) in Hong Kong (Standard Chartered, Bank of China and HSBC), with enhanced security features, new cultural themes, durability and aids for the visually impaired.

There are five denominations, so 15 different designs in total, which are all being printed by Hong Kong Note Printing. China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation designed the versions to be issued by the Bank of China, Giesecke+ Devrient designed those from Standard Chartered Bank, and De La Rue designed the HSBC series.

It is the first time that the thematic subjects on the reverse side of the notes from all the issuers have been standardised for each denomination to facilitate easy recognition by the public. And to provide easy differentiation from the previous series, the designs on the reverse of each note are vertically-oriented.

The themes represent different aspects of Hong Kong – for example, its position as an international financial centre (HK$1,000), the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark (HK$500), Cantonese opera (HK$100), butterflies that inhabit Hong Kong (HK$50), and the popular dim sum and tea culture (HK$20).

The new banknotes incorporate advanced security features, the placement of which is uniform across all five denominations. For the HK$500 and HK$1,000 (which will be issued this month), they include SPARK®, a windowed security thread (Galaxy™ with Multicode™), an enhanced watermark and a fluorescent see-through feature.

1,000 Baht

The Best New Banknote award was made to the Bank of Thailand for the new 1,000 baht, which was issued on His Majesty the King of Thailand’s birthday, 28 July 2018. The front depicts His Majesty in the Royal Thai Air Force uniform, as do the other notes in the new series. The reverse side of each denomination depicts the portraits of two Kings in order of reign, along with the images of their memorable royal duties. The new 1,000 baht, along with the new 500 baht note issued on the same day, complete the new series which has been introduced following the death of the king’s father in 2016.

The 1,000 baht is the highest denomination in the series and is regarded as the most innovative and secure. It features a Galaxy thread from Louisenthal, with a dynamic ‘Saturn’ moving effect and green-to-gold colour shift. To the right of the portrait of the King is a SPARK Live ‘Trupsin’ feature from SICPA, synchronised in its dynamic ring movement and colour shift to the Galaxy thread.

2,000 Won

The new award for the Best New Commemorative Banknote went to the Bank of Korea for the commemorative 2,000 won, issued by the Bank of Korea to mark the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, which were held in PyeongChang. 2.3 million of the notes were produced, by KOMSCO.

While the Bank has issued commemorative coins in the past for special events, this is its first commemorative note.

To mark the occasion, Seven Olympic winter sports were represented on the front – speed skating, ice hockey, curling, biathlon, ski jumping, luge, and bob sleigh, along with the logo of the Olympic Games. On the reverse is the painting entitled Tiger under a Pine Tree by Kim Hong-do, a celebrated 18th century artist. The key security features on the note are a MOTION thread from Crane Currency, and a foil feature combining KINGERAM ZERO.ZERO with KINEGRAM COLORS from KURZ (the first time this combination has been used on a banknote.

‘Passion. Connected’ was the official motto of the Games. The design of the 2,000 won commemorative note was designed to connect the passion for athletics with the love of sportsmanship and culture.

Australian $5

The best banknote award was made to the Reserve Bank of Australia for its new polymer A$5 note. This is the first note to be redesigned in the country for over twenty years and the other denominations will be replaced in the next few years. The note is printed on a clear Guardian substrate from Innovia Security.

The new banknote incorporates a range of cutting-edge security features that have not previously been used on Australian banknotes. Most notably, the A$5 is the first circulating note in the world to feature a clear edge-to-edge window. This partially demetalised top-to-bottom holographic window feature contains a number of dynamic diffractive foil elements, produced by KURZ. These elements are visible on both sides of the banknote and change as the banknote is tilted.

The design of the banknote incorporates a species of wattle and a native Australian bird. When the banknote is tilted diagonally, a SPARK patch in the shape of the Eastern Spinebill shows the different poses of the bird progressively highlighted, making it look as if it is flying. In the centre of the window another bird is depicted sitting on a branch.

The new note also includes a ‘tactile’ feature to assist people with vision impairments, following extensive research into whether an effective and durable marking could be included on Australian notes.

The launch of the new banknote was supported by an information campaign so that the public is able to identify the new banknote and its security features. This includes an updated website (banknotes.rba.gov.au), a new mobile app, and an adverting campaign to raise public awareness. The app was developed as an interactive tool to explore all current Australian banknotes, including the new $5 banknote – and enables users to learn about banknote design and security features, and how to handle counterfeit and damaged banknotes.

100 Yuan

The People’s Bank of China has been given a Special Achievement Award for a commemorative note celebrating China’s aerospace science and technology. The note was produced by China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation using its unique simultaneous double-sided intaglio printing technology.

The front of the 100-yuan note features the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft docking with China’s first space lab, Tiangong-1, in a mission which included China’s first female taikonaut, Liu Yang. Also featured is Dongfanghong-1, China’s first satellite that was launched in 1970, and Chang’e-1, the country’s first lunar orbiter that circled the moon from 2007 to 2009.

The design on the back of the note runs vertically and illustrates the history of Chinese flight from birds, biplanes and jumbo jets through to Shenzhou 9, Chang’e 1 and the planned Tiangong-1 space station to be launched in 2020.

100 million of the 100-yuan bills were produced – which was issued alongside a commemorative 10-yuan coin. The banknote also features a colour shift windowed thread and SPARK Origin in the shape of the Dongfanhong-1 satellite.

The award was collected by Mr Leye Gu and Ms Tianyi Chen from CBPM – Kexin Banking Technology.

100 Dong

The central bank of Vietnam, the State Bank of Vietnam, has also been awarded a special achievement award for the issue of a commemorative banknote printed to mark the 65th anniversary of the State Bank and the country’s banking sector.

The souvenir banknotes were manufactured by the National Banknote Printing Plant in Vietnam, with the support of Arjowiggins Security, Crane Currency, SCIPA and KBA-NotaSys.

The new note features a DIAMONE composite substrate (developed by Arjowiggins Security) which uses a blend of synthetic and cotton fibres. The note also features a RAPID motion security thread (from Crane Currency), an embedded lotus flower watermark and a SPARK dynamic colour shifting ink security feature (from SICPA) in the shape of the number ’65’.

The design of the note also features a portrait of former president, Ho Chi Minh as well as a stylised depiction of the currency used in ancient Vietnam representing the nation’s monetary sovereignty. Other features include the Bank’s building in Hanoi, Thanh Giong (a mythical folk hero) and patterns found on the Ngoc Lu Bronze drum, an artefact from the country’s Bronze Age.

The award was collected by Ms Uyen Thi To Nguyen and Ms Ha Thi Thanh Bui from the State Bank of Vietnam.

Brighter Money Series

The second award was presented to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) for its ‘Brighter Money’ series of new polymer banknotes.

This is the first time New Zealand’s banknotes have been redesigned since 1999. The first two denominations, the $5 and $10, have gone into circulation, and will be followed by new $20, $50, and $100 notes next year.

The themes – respected New Zealanders, the Queen and flora and fauna – remain central to the designs, but these are brighter and bolder than their predecessors. All five denominations carry the same security features.

The principal features are SPARK® (representing a native bird on the front, with the same colour shift and movement in the fern on the reverse) and a large clear window with a hologram which features a fern and map of New Zealand, as well as the same bird that features on the left hand side of the note.

A new website was launched by the Bank, with the slogan ‘Brighter Money’ to reflect the bold colours and designs for the new notes.

The new notes have been designed and printed by Canadian Bank Note Company.

1,000 Baht

The first award went to the Bank of Thailand for the new 1,000 baht note. This is the fifth and final note to be issued as part of the country’s Series 16, which went into circulation in September 2015.

The colour and size of the note remains the same as its predecessor, but it has been enhanced with security features to facilitate authentication by machine as well as the general public.

These include OVI® gold-to-green and a holographic stripe on the front, and Louisenthal’s magnetic machine-readable RollingStar® Cube thread on the back. The note is printed with intaglio on both sides on Louisenthal’s durable Longlife substrate. The notes also feature tactile marks for the visually-impaired.

The principal design theme of the new series celebrates Thai kings from different periods.

New Kuwaiti Dinar Series

The new Kuwaiti Dinar Series is the first redesign in the country since 1994 and combines bold and modern designs with new state-of-the-art security features. The six denominations celebrate different aspects of Kuwait’s history, heritage and economic success, with each note featuring a different theme such as Ruling and the Sea, Democracy and the Desert, and History and Islam. Iconic and culturally-significant buildings are shown on the front while images denoting the country’s attributes and accomplishments are displayed on the back.

A series of new security features have been integrated into the banknotes, including a wide windowed StarBrightTM colour changing security thread, the optically-variable SPARK® OrbitalTM ink and SpectrumTM, a feature generated from a combination of intaglio and offset print to create changing colours or shapes when the note is tilted.

Attention has also been paid to make the new series ‘user-friendly’ for the blind and visually impaired – an increasingly important topic in banknote design – and the new Kuwaiti banknotes feature strongly tactile embossed intaglio engravings, both in the raised denomination numeral on the front and the symbol on either side.

The new banknotes were designed and printed by De La Rue. The award was presented to Tim Jones of De La Rue who collected the award on behalf of the Central Bank of Kuwait.

Fijian Banknote Series

The regional Banknote of the Year Award recognises outstanding achievement in the design, technical sophistication and security of a banknote or banknote series, the key judging criteria being that successful banknotes should combine visual artistry and high levels of technical and security sophistication, with considerable emphasis placed on reflecting the cultural heritage of the issuing country in the note, and the relevance of the overall design and symbolism to the issuing country.

The new Fijian series, which was issued in December 2012, celebrates Fiji’s endemic plants and animals, some of which are believed to be extinct, images of which replaced the portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II across all denominations. The lowest denomination in the series, the $5, was the first note in the world to be produced on De La Rue’s SafeGuard™ polymer substrate.

The award was received by Barnaby Dicks, Regional Manager Asia for De La Rue (designers and printers of the new series) on behalf of the Bank, who commented: ‘I am delighted to be accepting this award on behalf of the Reserve Bank of Fiji. We are proud to be their partner in the creation of this exciting and imaginative new series, for which the award is a deserving tribute for the Bank’.