Finalists for 2019 IACA Excellence in Currency Awards have now been voted on and the winners in all the award categories will be announced at the Currency Conference Gala Dinner to be held on Wednesday April 10th in Dubai.

The finalists were as follows:

Best New Banknote or Series

  • Central Bank of Armenia – New III series of Armenian banknotes comprising 6 denominations: 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000 dram, issued in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Armenian currency.
  • Reserve Bank of Australia – Next generation $50 banknote developed after extensive consultation with subject matter experts.
  • Bank of Canada – New vertical $10 banknote. The introduction of this note marks a shift towards a staggered approach to note issuance.
  • Bank of Mexico – New 500-peso banknote. This banknote is the first in a new family of banknotes that pay homage to historical and natural heritage of Mexico.
  • Norges Bank – New series 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 NOK. “The sea” was selected as the overall theme because of the sea’s importance for Norway’s business sector and economic prosperity.

Best New Commemorative or Limited circulation banknote

  • Bank of Canada – $10 banknote issued in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the process by which the modern Dominion of Canada was first created.
  • Bank of Papua New Guinea – 100 Kina APEC commemorative banknote issued as part of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit held in Port Moresby,
  • Central Bank of Uruguay -50 Pesos banknote celebrating 50 years since the establishment of the Central Bank of Uruguay

Best Banknote Processing Innovation

  • CDI2 (Common Detector Interface 2) – is an open standard for high speed banknote sorting machines created by the Federal Reserve System and the European Central Bank
  • Cash Processing Solutions SmartFeed™ X10 – is the new automatic feeder designed for large cash processing operations.
  • Giesecke & Devrient NotaTracc® – improves the handling of banknotes throughout the cash cycle. It complements the G+D high-speed processing systems.

Best Banknote Public Education Program, Website, or App

  • Bank of Canada – Digital storytelling and online engagement. Provides an interactive story of the new $10 banknote.
  • Reserve Bank of Australia –a suite of special communication activities tailored to meet the information needs of priority audience groups for the new series $10 and $50 banknotes.
  • South African Reserve Bank – currency mobile App with the purpose of driving awareness and education on the various features of the new commemorative South African banknote series.