Artists given the chance to design island’s new banknotes
BAILIWICK artists and creative agencies are being given the chance to put their designs forward to be on the island’s first new banknotes since the 1990s.
States Treasurer Bethan Haines said this was a unique opportunity for the islands most creative people to have their ideas become part of our cultural heritage.
‘It has been some 30 years since our notes were last redesigned and now is the right time to update them,’ she said.
The States has put together a creative brief aimed at local designers, artists and creative agencies to put forward concepts for a new family of notes to include a design for a £1, £5, £10 and £20.
This includes some mandatory parameters that must be followed so that the designs can be reproduced on official currency.
A £50 will also be designed, but Mrs Haines said this may not be put into production given the current limited usage of this denomination.
The States will be once again working with currency specialists De La Rue, a company whose roots trace back to their Guernsey-born founder Thomas De La Rue.
The winning concepts will be handed over to the De La Rue design team in the first quarter of 2025 for conversion into banknotes, with production expected to commence in 2026.
The new notes are expected to be go into circulation in 2027.
Mrs Haines said the opportunity was open to local resident artists or designers or with strong connections to the island.
Currently Bailiwick notes still bear the image of Queen Elizabeth II and these would be the first to include a likeness of the new monarch.
The new notes will see a switch away from traditional paper.
‘Our notes are still printed on paper, which is becoming much more difficult to source with the closure of paper mills, meaning we’ll need to move onto polymer,' Mrs Haines said.
The UK started introducing polymer notes in 2016, and by 2020 £5, £10 and £20 notes were all polymer.
Submissions of artwork must be received no later than 3 January 2025.
n Find out more at www.gov.gg/banknotes.
