The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announces that its voting membership has for the first time selected the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten to receive its annual prestigious “Bank Note of the Year Award” for 2025. With almost 100 new banknotes released worldwide during 2025, only 17 were deemed of sufficiently new design to be member nominated. From the onset of voting the Curacao and Sint Maarten 200 Gulden note was the overwhelming favorite. The 200 Gulden is part of a new series launched by the Central Bank with 5 denominations, all drawing inspiration from the “World Under the Sea.” The face of each note is horizontally orientated and features marine life native to the islands while the reverse is vertically orientated with historical and cultural landmarks. The winning note is the largest denomination of the set and is predominantly purple and features long snout seahorses and a giant tun shell in blue-to-green OVI on the face. The back of the note showcases the iconic Queen Emma Bridge.
This series of notes are printed on paper by Crane Currency and integrated with many security features: a compass rose watermark with letters XCG, a 3D moving stripe, high-relief printing, color-changing ink, security threads that create an illusion of moving waves, iridescent color, and a see-through register. The tactile markings along the short edges of each banknote help the visually impaired to easily identify the note which is signed by Richard A. Doornbosch (President) and Leila A. Matroos-Lasten (Directory Secretary of the Central Bank).
The current exchange value of the new Curacao and Sint Maarten bill equals $111 USD, €95 Euros or £83 British Pounds as of the date of this announcement. The 200 Gulden note is 147 x 66 mm, similar in height but slightly shorter than U.S. greenbacks.
Winners of recent IBNS Banknote of the Year competitions are all miniature works of art that represent their nation’s popular themes. These winners ideally help provide a superb template as countries consider how they eventually design and promote their own new banknotes. Polymer banknotes continue to be popular IBNS favorites and have become perennial award winners, although this year is an exception. Vertical orientation seems favored with 8 of the last 10 winners being vertically formatted. This year’s winner is a hybrid horizontal front and vertical back.
From all significant newly designed and widely circulated banknotes released in 2025, the IBNS membership nominated notes from 17 different countries to place on the ballot. Nominees represented 3 different continents (Africa, Asia, Europe), Central America, the Middle East, and 5 island nations. The first runner-up was Fiji’s 5 Dollar note which features a kulawai bird and sea turtle. The second runner-up was Zambia’s 100 Kwacha note which features an eagle and giraffes. Rounding out the top five vote getters were Falkland Islands’ 5 Pound note (King Charles III), and Papua New Guinea’s 50 Kina note (bird of paradise).
Past “Bank Note of the Year” winners include Bermuda (2024), East Caribbean States (2023), Philippines (2022), Mexico (2021 & 2020), Aruba (2019), Canada (2018), Switzerland (2017 & 2016), New Zealand (2015), Trinidad & Tobago (2014), Kazakhstan (2013, 2012 & 2011), Uganda (2010), Bermuda (2009), Samoa (2008), Bank of Scotland (2007), Comoros (2006), Faeroe Islands (2005) and Canada (2004).