Students win Banca d'Italia banknote design competition

The 13th edition of the 'Let's design a banknote' competition, a joint initiative by Banca d'Italia and the Ministry of Education and Merit, engaged a record 965 schools.

This marks a one-third increase from the previous year, reflecting growing interest in the program.

The competition attracted 291 primary, 310 lower secondary, and 364 upper secondary schools, including 12 Italian schools abroad.

This year's theme, 'The new face of the euro: identity, nature and culture for the future,' challenged students to explore money's symbolic value beyond its function as a mere medium of exchange.

It aimed to foster reflection on cultural identity, financial education, and social awareness through banknote design.

The initial selection involved six regional juries at Banca d'Italia branches, which reviewed submissions and advanced 54 entries—18 from each school level—to the next stage.

Each of these 54 schools received a €2,000 prize to support educational activities.

Following regional selections, a panel of Banca d'Italia's Banknotes Directorate experts reviewed the 54 entries and 12 submissions from Italian schools abroad.

This process yielded a shortlist of nine finalist classes.

On May 15, these finalists presented their work to a distinguished final jury in Rome.

Chaired by Luigi Managò, Head of Banca d'Italia's Banknotes Directorate, the jury included representatives from the Ministry of Education and Merit, the School of Medal Art, and Banca d'Italia's Financial Education and Gold Reserves Directorates.

Three overall winners, one per school category, each received a €10,000 prize.

The remaining six finalists were each awarded €2,500 to support their educational activities.