Leonardo, Callas and Curie or Europe's birds: culture or nature on new euro banknotes, vote opens
The ECB has unveiled ten final designs for future euro banknotes. Culture and nature themes feature Leonardo, Maria Callas, Beethoven, Marie Curie and birds symbolising European biodiversity.
Published on 23/07/2026 - 18:44 GMT+2•Updated 19:02The future euro banknotes are taking shape and, this time, it will be European citizens themselves who have the final say. The European Central Bank on Thursday presented theten finalist designs from which the new denominations will be chosen, due to enter circulation from the end of 2026. More than 1,200 proposals were examined, but in the endtwo major themes emerged that are able to tell the story of the continent's identity: European culture and the richness of nature. On the one hand are thefigures who have left their markon the history of art, music, science and literature. On the other,rivers and birdsthat cross the continent's borders, symbols of Europe's biodiversity and of the need to protect it. The ECB opens a public vote to choose the euro's new lookThe ten finalist projects were presented by thepresident of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde(source in Italian), who invited Europeans to take part in choosing the euro's new face. You canvote here(source in Italian). For each of the two themes, five different designs have been created, with varied graphic styles: some more modern and minimalist, others more faithful to the subjects depicted. Through a survey published on the ECB website, citizens can express their preference and help shape the final decision. The "European culture" theme: six major figures from historyIf the culture-themed option wins, the new banknotes will feature some of the most influential figures in European history. The €5 banknote would featureMaria Callas, the renowned Greek-American sopranowho revolutionised the world of opera. The €10 note would be dedicated to theGerman composer Ludwig van Beethoven, while the €20 note would honourscientist Marie Curie, Nobel prize winner and pioneer of scientific research. The €50 banknote would depictMiguel de Cervantes, author ofDon Quixote, one of the most important novels in world literature. The higher denominations would celebrate two emblematic figures of European thought:Leonardo da Vinci, featured on the €100 note, andBertha von Suttner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, chosen for the €200 banknote. The other proposal: Europe's symbolic birdsThe alternative focuses instead on nature. Each banknote depicts adifferent species of European bird set in a river landscape, while the reverse side features the main institutions of the European Union. The series includes thewallcreeper paired with the European Parliament,the kingfisher with the European Commission, the European bee-eater alongside the European Central Bank, the white stork with the Court of Justice of the European Union, the avocet with the European Council and the Council of the European Union, and finally the northern gannet next to the European Court of Auditors. When the new banknotes will arriveThe citizens' vote is one of the stages in the process that will lead to thefinal choice of the euro's new design. Once the consultation is complete and the winning project has been selected, the ECB will move on to the technical steps required to produce the new banknotes, which are scheduled to be issued from the end of 2026. The aim is to renew the image of the single currency while maintaining a strong link with Europe's shared values: its extraordinary cultural heritage and the natural environment that unites all the member states.