IACA announces winners of Excellence in Currency Awards

On May 8, 2007, the International Association of Currency Affairs honored seven individuals and companies at the first ever Excellence in Currency Awards ceremony that took place in Bangkok, Thailand.

•Lifetime Achievement Award: Thomas Ferguson, former director of the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

•Best New Bank Note Award: The National Bank of Kazakhstan, for its complex and highly secure new series launched in November 2006. Runners up were the Central Bank of Sweden, for the new 1,000 kronor launched in March 2006, and the Bank of Mexico, for the new polymer 50-peso banknote issued in November 2006.

•Best New Coin Award: The Royal Canadian Mint, for the Canadian quarter (25 cents) with an image of a pink ribbon in its centre, a collaboration with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

•Best New Currency Feature: Crane’s Motion, an optically variable feature incorporating a micro-lens array for security threads that first appeared on the Swedish 1,000-kronor banknote and has recently been chosen as the primary overt feature for the new US$100.

•Best New Currency Product: KBA GIORI, for ONE, a complete suite of products from banknote digital design through to direct intaglio and offset plate making.

•Best Currency Public Education Program: The US BEP, for its “Color of Money” introduction of the new $10.

•Best Currency Website: The Bank of England, for its newly-designed website, www.bankofengland.co.uk.