2016-05-10 Tue

International Bank Note Society’s 2015 Banknote of the Year Award was given to New Zealand’s new Edmund Hillary polymer $5 note. 150 new notes from 20 countries (four continents - Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa; four Middle East countries, and four island nations) released last year competed for this award.

Sweden’s 20-krona note depicting children’s author Astrid Lindgren, Russia’s 100-ruble note commemorating the Russian putsch, Kazakhstan’s 20,000-tenge note and Clydesdale Bank of Scotland’s £5 polymer note were the runner’s up.

The New Zealand note’s obverse features the New Zealand mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest for the first time. Other depictions include South Island’s Mount Cook (Aoraki) and a colour changing yellow-eyed penguin. The reverse features a different image of the penguin. The polymer window contains a map of New Zealand, the outline of a penguin, and the numeral 5.

The note was printed by Ottawa based Canadian Bank Note Co.