Sweden’s new banknotes – eight qualify for next stage of design competition

Date 04/10/2011

In April, the Riksbank announced a competition for the design of Sweden’s new banknotes. Now the first stage of the competition is complete and a number of applicants will be invited to take part in the next stage and present a concrete proposal. There was a broad line-up, which included artists, graphic designers, architects and engravers. The Riksbank has now selected eight applicants, from a total of 46, who qualify for the next stage of the competition.

The participants in the competition have until the end of January 2012 to present a proposal for the design of Sweden’s six new banknotes. The idea is that the winning proposal will be used as the artistic base for the design of the notes. The motifs for the banknotes were determined by the General Council of the Riksbank in April this year.

The applicants qualified for stage two:

• Sirje Papp, graphic designer and Vince Reichardt, graphic artist
• Göran Österlund, graphic designer and engraver
• Göran Dalhov, artist and architect
• Lars Arrhenius, artist and Martina Müntzing, artist
• Stockholm Design Lab – Björn Kussofsky, creative director, Per Carlsson, graphic designer and Martin Mörck, engraver and illustrator
• Ali Tabatabai, manager and graphic head, WEM3 and Mads Quistgaard, creative director and partner, design company PLEKS
• Hans Cogne, graphic designer and professor of graphic design, the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Clara Terne, illustrator/graphic designer and Lars Sjööblom, engraver/graphic designer
• Gustav Granström, creative director/graphic designer, Ritator, Oscar Laufersweiler, creative director/graphic designer, Ritator and Peter Johansson, artist

Reasons for selection:

The Riksbank’s assessment has been based on six works and a written motivation attached to each application. As a basis for its decision, the Riksbank has made an overall assessment of the applicants’ artistic quality and professionalism and the relevance of the work presented for the task of designing a banknote series.

What happens next?

When the design proposals have been presented at the end of January 2012 the jury will begin work on selecting a winner. The Riksbank intends to conclude the competition no later than April 2012.

The timetable for the introduction of the new banknotes and coins will be set in spring 2012, in consultation with the banks, the retail trade, and cash management and cash-in-transit companies. The new banknotes and coins will come into circulation in 2014-2015 at the earliest.

Further information on the new banknotes and coins, as well as press photos, see links below.