New Euro Banknotes 2026: How to Vote on the Redesign, the Two Themes, and What Changes for Your Wallet

 The redesign of the euro banknotes is a project led by the European Central Bank (ECB), the independent institution responsible for euro banknote issuance across the 20 euro area countries. On 6 December 2021, ECB President Christine Lagarde announced that after two decades, it was time to

"review the look of our banknotes and make them more relatable to Europeans of all ages and backgrounds" .

  The process has unfolded in five deliberate, participatory stages:

  1. Advisory Board & Theme Selection (2021–2023): A 19-member advisory board, one representative from each euro area country, was appointed to propose themes. Following a public consultation in which more than 365,000 Europeans shared their views, the ECB Governing Council narrowed the choice to two themes in November 2023 .

  2. Motif Selection (January 2025): The Governing Council selected specific motifs for each theme. For "European culture," six figures were chosen to represent shared cultural spaces: Maria Callas (performing arts, €5), Ludwig van Beethoven (music, €10), Marie Curie (universities and schools, €20), Miguel de Cervantes (libraries, €50), Leonardo da Vinci (museums and exhibitions, €100), and Bertha von Suttner (public squares, €200) .

For "Rivers and birds," six species were paired with river landscapes and EU institutions: the wallcreeper with the European Parliament (€5), the kingfisher with the European Commission (€10), the European bee-eater with the ECB (€20), the white stork with the Court of Justice (€50), the avocet with the European Council (€100), and the northern gannet with the European Court of Auditors (€200) .

  3. Design Contest (July 2025–July 2026): The ECB launched an EU-wide design contest on 15 July 2025, receiving over 1,200 applications from graphic designers. Twenty-five were invited to develop proposals, resulting in 39 submissions. An independent jury of 21 experts, each nominated by a euro area national central bank, shortlisted 10 design proposals (five per theme), which were unveiled on 23 July 2026.

  4. Public Survey (July–September 2026): An online survey is open to all Europeans until 21 September 2026, allowing citizens to rate the 10 proposals and select favorites. A parallel representative survey is being conducted by an independent research firm. The ECB will publish a report on both surveys after the final design is selected .

  5. Final Decision & Production (Late 2026 onwards): The ECB Governing Council is expected to select the winning design concept around the end of 2026, based on the jury's conclusions, technical assessments, and survey results. The chosen design will then undergo further development, security testing, and production planning before entering circulation "in subsequent years", with President Lagarde previously indicating the notes would "see the light of day" by 2028 .

Why it is happening: 

  The redesign is not merely cosmetic. The ECB identified three structural needs driving the project:

  1. Security evolution: Counterfeiting techniques advance continuously. A new series allows the integration of state-of-the-art security features that make banknotes more difficult to fake and easier for the public and machines to authenticate.

  2. Accessibility gaps: The current notes, while functional, can be challenging for blind and visually impaired users to distinguish quickly. The redesign offers an opportunity to improve tactile features, size differentiation, and visual clarity.

  3. Environmental responsibility: The ECB aims to reduce the carbon footprint, material waste, and water consumption of banknote production by optimizing substrates, inks, and manufacturing processes.

Precise Impact on Society:

 For Citizens (Everyday Users):

•   Your cash stays valid forever: Euro banknotes from the previous series retain their full value and continue to circulate alongside the new series. There is no exchange deadline, no demonetization, and no risk of your savings becoming worthless. This is a design upgrade, not a currency reform .

•    Easier authentication: New security features will make it simpler to verify that a note is genuine, whether by sight, touch, or tilt. This reduces the risk of accepting counterfeits in everyday transactions.

•    Better accessibility for visually impaired users: The redesign explicitly targets improved recognition through enhanced tactile elements (raised print, larger numerals, distinct sizes per denomination) and clearer color differentiation, ensuring cash remains an inclusive payment method.

•   A more sustainable wallet: The EU aims to reduce the environmental impact of producing, distributing, and disposing of cash.

•    A tangible connection to shared heritage: Whether the winning theme celebrates European culture or European nature, the notes will carry recognizable, meaningful symbols that reflect what Europeans value: art, science, peace, freedom, biodiversity, and unity across borders.

  For Retailers and Cash-Handling Businesses:

•    New security features will reduce counterfeiting losses and simplify staff training on authentication.

•    Improved machine readability will enhance automated cash handling (ATMs, sorting machines, self-checkout tills).