Six million voters took part in the first week to choose the new euro banknotes

1) European culture
5 euros (performing arts) front Maria Callas - reverse: street performers (music/dance/theatre) entertaining passers-by
10 euros (music) front Ludwig van Beethoven - reverse: a song festival with a choir of children and young adults singing
20 euro (universities and schools) front Marie Curie (née Skłodowska) - reverse: a school or university with a female teacher and young students. There are exercise books and books on the tables
50 euros (libraries) front Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - reverse: a library with some adults reading printed and digital books. A boy and a girl in front of a bookshop trying to pick up a book
100 euros (museums and exhibitions) front Leonardo da Vinci - reverse: adults and children admiring examples of street art, contemporary art, etc.
200 euros (public squares) front Bertha von Suttner (Austrian writer, the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the second woman to win a Nobel Prize (after Marie Curie) – reverse: a tree-lined square where people can gather, with adults and children talking, walking, playing, etc.)

2) nature: rivers and birds
5 euros front black woodpecker, mountain in spring – reverse: European Parliament
10 euros front kingfisher, waterfall – reverse: European Commission
20 euros front red-backed shrike, river valley – reverse: European Central Bank
50 euros front white stork, meandering river – reverse: Court of Justice of the European Union
100 euros front black-winged stilt in a muddy marsh – river mouth – reverse: European Council and Council of the European Union
200 euros front gannet northern gannet flying over the great ocean waves, seascape – reverse: European Court of Auditors

You must vote for one of the five graphic designs for each series. Although you can actually give your opinion on all ten series, for which you can give as many positive ratings as you like. All European citizens are now invited “to have their say”, said Lagarde.

In addition to the survey aimed at all citizens, another survey, featuring the same questions, will be conducted in parallel by an independent research company amongst a representative sample of citizens from the euro area. The ECB will publish a report on the results of both surveys once the final project has been selected.

The Executive Board is expected to adopt the final decision on the design of the new banknotes towards the end of the year, based on a combination of inputs, including the conclusions of: 1) the competition jury; 2) a technical assessment; 3–4) the results of the two surveys. The selected proposal will then be further developed and tested before going into production.

As for the relative weightings of the four criteria, the ECB’s headquarters in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) has stated that no specific percentages have been allocated to each criterion; instead, they will be considered in combination, in a holistic manner.

The previous series of euro banknotes will retain their value and continue to circulate alongside the new series. This will be the first complete redesign of euro banknotes since they were first issued in 2002.