Euro cash design contest ‘ignored’

The body behind the official competition to design the bank- notes for the single European currency is vowing to ignore the results of an unofficial design contest run by French art and design expert Sylvia Bourdon.

A European Monetary Institute spokeswoman says it will “not even look at” the winning designs from Bourdon’s Europe-wide competition.

Frankfurt freelance Andreas Karl and Barcelona duo José-Maria Codina and Joan Fontanals are due to receive awards at a ceremony in the European Parliament in Brussels on 23 July. Karl designed the winning coin and Codina and Fontanals the winning note.

Bourdon says the bureaucrats of the EMI “will now have to take our views into account” because the winners are “the democratic choice of the people” chosen by public voting via the media, represented in the UK by The European.

She adds: “The EMI do everything hidden away in their own little corner – civil servants should keep away from this.”

The EMI is pressing ahead with its competition, which is limited to experienced banknote designers selected by the EU’s central banks (DW 16 February). From the UK, the Bank of England is to forward a design before the EMI’s competition deadline of 13 September. A Bank of England spokesman declines to name its designer or divulge design details.

The EMI is yet to decide who will form the jury to select its winning design.