The ten finalist designs for the new euro banknotes were revealed by ECB President Christine Lagarde at 4:15 PM on July 23, 2026: five designs for the decorative motifs of each of the two chosen themes, which are “European Culture” and “Rivers and Birds”.
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An independent jury composed of 21 experts from different disciplines (graphics, communication, neuroscience, and history), each designated by the central bank of their respective euro area country, has finally pre-selected the ten proposals you see for the series of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 euro banknotes, consisting of:
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1) European culture:
5 euro (performing arts) front Maria Callas – back: street artists (music/dance/theatre) entertaining passers-by
10 euro (music) front Ludwig van Beethoven – back: a song festival with a choir of children and young adults singing
20 euro (universities and schools) front Marie Curie (née Skłodowska) – back: a school or university with a female teacher and young students. There are notebooks and books on the tables
50 euro (libraries) front Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra – back: a library with some adults reading paper and digital books. A boy and a girl in front of a bookshelf trying to pick up a book
100 euro (museums and exhibitions)front Leonardo da Vinci – back: adults and children admiring some examples of street art, contemporary art, etc.
200 euro (public squares) front Bertha von Suttner (Austrian writer, first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the second woman to win a Nobel Prize (after Marie Curie) – back: a tree-covered square that allows people to gather, with adults and children talking, walking, playing, etc.
2) rivers and birds:
5 euro front Eurasian nuthatch, mountain in spring – back: European Parliament
10 euro front kingfisher, waterfall – back: European Commission
20 euro front European bee-eater, river valley – back: European Central Bank
50 euro front white stork, winding river – back: Court of Justice of the European Union
100 euro front pied avocet in a muddy marsh – river mouth – back: European Council and Council of the European Union
200 euro front northern gannet flying over large ocean waves, seascape – back: European Court of Auditors
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