SBP reveals winners of new banknote series contest

The State Bank of Pakistan has announced the winners of the art competition for the new banknote series. 

The central bank announced the art competition in March to have “innovative and thematic design ideas” for new banknotes.

In a statement released by the SBP, it congratulated and appreciated the winners and the participants of the competition. 

“The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the art competition for the designs of the new banknote series. We appreciate the local artists and designers who participated in the competition showcasing their creativity and talent in this important endeavour,” read the statement. 

Most of the designers have incorporated the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in their version of the notes. 

Some have even included pictures of the sister of the founder, Fatima Ali Jinnah who is regarded as the "Mother of Nation".

Revealing the winners, the SBP stated that the evaluation process conducted by a committee of experts was “rigorous”. 

The first place winner of the Rs10 note denomination was Dr Shery Abidi whereas Mirza Sufiyan came second for designing the same currency note. 

Likewise, Haroon Khan also won the 1st prize for designing the Rs20 note while Syed Fawad Hussain was declared the winner of the Rs50 denomination. 

The Rs500 notes’ first place winner was Hadiya Hassan and the second place was awarded to Aynee Zahra. 

The thousand rupees note art by Noureen Aslam secured first place in the competition. 

Only one artist in the notes competition won in two denominations and it was Memoona Afzal who secured first place in the Rs100 and Rs5000 categories. 

The second prize in the Rs5000 note category was awarded to Karim Muhammad. 

Acknowledging the artistic designs, the statement from the SBP further stated that the “shortlisted designs are suggestive in nature” and “are being shared with international designers who have been shortlisted to work with SBP and finalise designs for the new banknote series.”

However, the bank assures that foreign designers can draw inspiration from local designs and will be free to implement their imagination and visions to create the final designs for the banknote series. 

The SBP assures that the new currency notes will reflect “the rich cultural heritage and progressive vision of our nation, and hopes the final designs fully reflect this collaborative effort.”