2018-04-09 Mon

For a second time in a row, Switzerland won the Best Banknote of the Year award. This time it was the beautiful 10-franc note depicting two hands conducting an orchestra. The note also features a small map of Switzerland’s train system which denotes national punctuality.

A national level competition was held in 2005 to select the banknote designs. This particular design was created by Manuela Pfrunder and was Swiss National Bank’s second choice for the competition. The first-choice design depicted viruses, embryos, and the solar system, but was not accepted by the public.

Other runners-up include Royal Bank of Scotland’s £10 note depicting mathematician and astronomer Mary Somerville; Fiji’s $7 note depicting Olympic gold-winning rugby team; Norway’s 100-kroner note featuring Viking ship; Djibouti’s 40-franc note depicting a whale shark; and Canada’s $10 note depicting beautiful landscapes.

Members of the society select the winners based on a voting system. Any note in general circulation from 2017 was eligible for the competition. Madagascar’s 20,000-b note and Maldives’ 5-rufiyaa note were other nominations for this year. New Zealand’s $5 note won the competition in 2016 while Trinidad & Tobago’s $50 note won the contest in 2015.

Image Courtesy: IBNS