Best Banknote and ID Document
High Security Printing Asia plays host to two prestigious industry awards, which celebrate outstanding achievement in banknote and ID security.
Award Categories

Regional Banknote
This award recognises outstanding achievement in the design, technical sophistication and security of a banknote or banknote series.

Regional ID Document
This award promotes the best in security printing, system infrastructure and implementation of a government passport, identity or other security card scheme.
2019 Winners
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Regional Banknote of the Year
2019 Best New Series
New Kina Series
The Bank of Papua New Guinea’s new kina series won the accolade for the Best New Series, reflecting the country’s commitment to improve the quality of its currency in the face of one of the toughest environments in the world for circulating notes.
The newly updated polymer based is in denominations of two, five, 10, 20, 50 and 100 kina and all feature the National Parliament building in Port Moresby on the front, with different cultural themes and artefacts emblematic of the life and history of Papua New Guinea and its myriad traditional cultures on the reverse.
On the new 100 kina, the images on the reverse denote transport and communications, and includes the SPARK® Live TRUSPIN feature – the first time in a polymer note – integrated into the window and viewable on both sides of the window in reflection and transmission, each providing different visual effects. All the notes are produced on Guardian® polymer substrate with a window with the colour changing G-switch™ feature, IRIswitch™ and OVI® among other security features.
Best New Series

New Kina Series
Bank of Papua New Guinea
2019 Best New Banknote
15,000 Riel
The 15,000 riel note issued by the National Bank of Cambodia to mark the anniversary of the King of Cambodia, HM Norodom Sihamoni secured the Best New Banknote at HSP Asia. The note symbolises the importance of the King, as the focal point of the whole Royal Household, for the newly reborn unity of the Cambodian people following decades of civil war and unrest.
Based on an original in-house design, the banknote also signifies a major technological milestone for the young Cambodian banknote industry, containing several unique features developed by the in-house design team in Phnom Penh.
The note was printed by the Printing Works of the National Bank of Cambodia on Landqart’s Durasafe composite substrate – the first time this has been used in Southeast Asia – and features include a see-through window and two half-windows.
The ornamentally shaped full window, with distinctly varying contours on the two sides of the note, contains an intaglio-embossed inkless feature (a floral pattern encompassing diversely directed lines) – while the two ornamental half-windows at the back are used to expose the 4mm-wide demetalised security thread with Cleartext, supplied by Hueck Folien.
Designed with social responsibility in mind, the note also has several highly tactile elements to facilitate recognition and authentication by the visually-impaired. Other features include a unique see-through image in perfect register, printed with three different UV fluorescent inks, a gradual colour transition in intaglio, and two-colour serial numbering combining two different numbering inks.
Best New Banknote

15,000 Riel
National Bank of Cambodia
2019 Best New Commemorative Banknote
20 Patacas
The Best New Commemorative Banknote accolade went to the Monetary Authority of Macau for its commemorative 20 patacas banknote, which was issued to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to China. Another version of the note has been issued by Banco Nacional Ultramarino. The reverse of both is the same, while the front features the HQs of the respective banks. The notes were produced by China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation. The main security features include a watermark (of the lotus flower), machine-readable colour shifting thread, SPARK® Live in the denomination numeral, IR and micro-perforation.
Best New Commemorative Banknote

20 Patacas
Monetary Authority of Macau
Regional ID Document of the Year
2019 Best New ePassport
Hong Kong SAR ePassport
The new ePassport was launched in January 2019 and features an array of state-of-the-art security features and an eye-catching ultraviolet design. This includes images of the Tsing Ma Bridge and the regional flag as background print, while the data page shows the national flag above the city’s, next to the Golden Bauhinia Square – the national emblem of Hong Kong.
The biodata page, made of polycarbonate and carrying micro-printing, contains a laser-engraved portrait photo of the holder under a transparent layer – a technology specifically adopted for smart ID applications.
A so-called fanning effect on the passport’s open side displays the word ‘Hong Kong’ in Chinese characters and the letters ‘HK’ when page edges are viewed at an angle. When the edges are viewed from the opposite direction, a picture of the Tsing Ma Bridge also appears.
To streamline procedures, self-service kiosks have been introduced to allow people to take photos and collect the passports later.
According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department, the ePassport is making it tougher to counterfeit travel documents. In 2018, more than 700,000 Hong Kong passports were issued while the same year saw authorities recover 449 forged travel documents (in 2017 the number stood at 515).
Best New ePassport

Hong Kong SAR ePassport
Hong Kong Immigration Department
2019 Best New ID card
Hong Kong Smart ID Card
The new smart ID card features enhanced security, built-in RFID technology and higher-resolution photographs to support facial recognition. A see-through window bearing the card number has been included, while an image of the city’s skyline appears on back of the card under an ultraviolet light. The RFID transmission technology has also been improved, boosting security and data retrieval speeds.
The card supports wireless technology and has an expanded storage capacity for higher-resolution photos to support facial recognition technology, in a move to provide a platform for alternative biometric authentication on top of fingerprint verification. Fingerprint templates have also been upgraded for more secure and accurate identity verification.
The Immigration Department has set up nine replacement centres across the city, equipped with self-service registration and collection kiosks. At the kiosk, an applicant only needs to insert his or her existing ID card, verify two fingerprints and then input or verify the application data. The machine will then print out a form so the applicant can move on to taking a photo. The whole process takes no more than 30 minutes. It takes about 10 working days to receive the new card. Almost nine million Hong Kong residents are set to receive the new documents in a phase replacement programme over the next four years.
The new smart ID card was launched on 26 November 2018, so it was precisely one year later that it won this accolade. The awards were presented to Tin Chee Chan, assistant director of the Personal Documentation Branch of the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China by Martyn White, chairman of Reconnaissance International.
Best New ID card

Hong Kong Smart ID Card
Hong Kong Immigration Department
Previous Years’ Winners
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Regional Banknote
2018 Best New Series
Hong Kong Series
The Best New Banknote Series -award went to Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) for the 2018 Series. The notes themselves are being issued by the three note issuing banks (NBIs) in Hong Kong (Standard Chartered, Bank of China and HSBC), with enhanced security features, new cultural themes, durability and aids for the visually impaired.
There are five denominations, so 15 different designs in total, which are all being printed by Hong Kong Note Printing. China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation designed the versions to be issued by the Bank of China, Giesecke+ Devrient designed those from Standard Chartered Bank, and De La Rue designed the HSBC series.
It is the first time that the thematic subjects on the reverse side of the notes from all the issuers have been standardised for each denomination to facilitate easy recognition by the public. And to provide easy differentiation from the previous series, the designs on the reverse of each note are vertically-oriented.
The themes represent different aspects of Hong Kong – for example, its position as an international financial centre (HK$1,000), the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark (HK$500), Cantonese opera (HK$100), butterflies that inhabit Hong Kong (HK$50), and the popular dim sum and tea culture (HK$20).
The new banknotes incorporate advanced security features, the placement of which is uniform across all five denominations. For the HK$500 and HK$1,000 (which will be issued this month), they include SPARK®, a windowed security thread (Galaxy™ with Multicode™), an enhanced watermark and a fluorescent see-through feature.
2018 Best New Series

Hong Kong Series
Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)
2018 Best New Banknote
1,000 Baht
The Best New Banknote award was made to the Bank of Thailand for the new 1,000 baht, which was issued on His Majesty the King of Thailand’s birthday, 28 July 2018. The front depicts His Majesty in the Royal Thai Air Force uniform, as do the other notes in the new series. The reverse side of each denomination depicts the portraits of two Kings in order of reign, along with the images of their memorable royal duties. The new 1,000 baht, along with the new 500 baht note issued on the same day, complete the new series which has been introduced following the death of the king’s father in 2016.
The 1,000 baht is the highest denomination in the series and is regarded as the most innovative and secure. It features a Galaxy thread from Louisenthal, with a dynamic ‘Saturn’ moving effect and green-to-gold colour shift. To the right of the portrait of the King is a SPARK Live ‘Trupsin’ feature from SICPA, synchronised in its dynamic ring movement and colour shift to the Galaxy thread.
2018 Best New Banknote

1,000 Baht
Bank of Thailand
2018 Best New Commemorative Banknote
2,000 Won
The new award for the Best New Commemorative Banknote went to the Bank of Korea for the commemorative 2,000 won, issued by the Bank of Korea to mark the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, which were held in PyeongChang. 2.3 million of the notes were produced, by KOMSCO.
While the Bank has issued commemorative coins in the past for special events, this is its first commemorative note.
To mark the occasion, Seven Olympic winter sports were represented on the front – speed skating, ice hockey, curling, biathlon, ski jumping, luge, and bob sleigh, along with the logo of the Olympic Games. On the reverse is the painting entitled Tiger under a Pine Tree by Kim Hong-do, a celebrated 18th century artist. The key security features on the note are a MOTION thread from Crane Currency, and a foil feature combining KINGERAM ZERO.ZERO with KINEGRAM COLORS from KURZ (the first time this combination has been used on a banknote.
‘Passion. Connected’ was the official motto of the Games. The design of the 2,000 won commemorative note was designed to connect the passion for athletics with the love of sportsmanship and culture.
2018 Best New Commemorative Banknote

2,000 Won
Bank of Korea
2016 Best New Banknote
Australian $5
The best banknote award was made to the Reserve Bank of Australia for its new polymer A$5 note. This is the first note to be redesigned in the country for over twenty years and the other denominations will be replaced in the next few years. The note is printed on a clear Guardian substrate from Innovia Security.
The new banknote incorporates a range of cutting-edge security features that have not previously been used on Australian banknotes. Most notably, the A$5 is the first circulating note in the world to feature a clear edge-to-edge window. This partially demetalised top-to-bottom holographic window feature contains a number of dynamic diffractive foil elements, produced by KURZ. These elements are visible on both sides of the banknote and change as the banknote is tilted.
The design of the banknote incorporates a species of wattle and a native Australian bird. When the banknote is tilted diagonally, a SPARK patch in the shape of the Eastern Spinebill shows the different poses of the bird progressively highlighted, making it look as if it is flying. In the centre of the window another bird is depicted sitting on a branch.
The new note also includes a ‘tactile’ feature to assist people with vision impairments, following extensive research into whether an effective and durable marking could be included on Australian notes.
The launch of the new banknote was supported by an information campaign so that the public is able to identify the new banknote and its security features. This includes an updated website (banknotes.rba.gov.au), a new mobile app, and an adverting campaign to raise public awareness. The app was developed as an interactive tool to explore all current Australian banknotes, including the new $5 banknote – and enables users to learn about banknote design and security features, and how to handle counterfeit and damaged banknotes.
2016 Best New Banknote

Australian $5
Reserve Bank of Australia
2016 Best New Commemorative Banknote
100 Yuan
The People’s Bank of China has been given a Special Achievement Award for a commemorative note celebrating China’s aerospace science and technology. The note was produced by China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation using its unique simultaneous double-sided intaglio printing technology.
The front of the 100-yuan note features the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft docking with China’s first space lab, Tiangong-1, in a mission which included China’s first female taikonaut, Liu Yang. Also featured is Dongfanghong-1, China’s first satellite that was launched in 1970, and Chang’e-1, the country’s first lunar orbiter that circled the moon from 2007 to 2009.
The design on the back of the note runs vertically and illustrates the history of Chinese flight from birds, biplanes and jumbo jets through to Shenzhou 9, Chang’e 1 and the planned Tiangong-1 space station to be launched in 2020.
100 million of the 100-yuan bills were produced – which was issued alongside a commemorative 10-yuan coin. The banknote also features a colour shift windowed thread and SPARK Origin in the shape of the Dongfanhong-1 satellite.
The award was collected by Mr Leye Gu and Ms Tianyi Chen from CBPM – Kexin Banking Technology.
2016 Best New Commemorative Banknote

100 Yuan
The People’s Bank of China
2016 Best New Commemorative Banknote
100 Dong
The central bank of Vietnam, the State Bank of Vietnam, has also been awarded a special achievement award for the issue of a commemorative banknote printed to mark the 65th anniversary of the State Bank and the country’s banking sector.
The souvenir banknotes were manufactured by the National Banknote Printing Plant in Vietnam, with the support of Arjowiggins Security, Crane Currency, SCIPA and KBA-NotaSys.
The new note features a DIAMONE composite substrate (developed by Arjowiggins Security) which uses a blend of synthetic and cotton fibres. The note also features a RAPID motion security thread (from Crane Currency), an embedded lotus flower watermark and a SPARK dynamic colour shifting ink security feature (from SICPA) in the shape of the number ’65’.
The design of the note also features a portrait of former president, Ho Chi Minh as well as a stylised depiction of the currency used in ancient Vietnam representing the nation’s monetary sovereignty. Other features include the Bank’s building in Hanoi, Thanh Giong (a mythical folk hero) and patterns found on the Ngoc Lu Bronze drum, an artefact from the country’s Bronze Age.
The award was collected by Ms Uyen Thi To Nguyen and Ms Ha Thi Thanh Bui from the State Bank of Vietnam.
2016 Best New Commemorative Banknote

100 Dong
State Bank of Vietnam
2015 Best New Series
Brighter Money Series
The second award was presented to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) for its ‘Brighter Money’ series of new polymer banknotes.
This is the first time New Zealand’s banknotes have been redesigned since 1999. The first two denominations, the $5 and $10, have gone into circulation, and will be followed by new $20, $50, and $100 notes next year.
The themes – respected New Zealanders, the Queen and flora and fauna – remain central to the designs, but these are brighter and bolder than their predecessors. All five denominations carry the same security features.
The principal features are SPARK® (representing a native bird on the front, with the same colour shift and movement in the fern on the reverse) and a large clear window with a hologram which features a fern and map of New Zealand, as well as the same bird that features on the left hand side of the note.
A new website was launched by the Bank, with the slogan ‘Brighter Money’ to reflect the bold colours and designs for the new notes.
The new notes have been designed and printed by Canadian Bank Note Company.
2015 Best New Series

Brighter Money Series
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ)
2015 Best New Banknote
1,000 Baht
The first award went to the Bank of Thailand for the new 1,000 baht note. This is the fifth and final note to be issued as part of the country’s Series 16, which went into circulation in September 2015.
The colour and size of the note remains the same as its predecessor, but it has been enhanced with security features to facilitate authentication by machine as well as the general public.
These include OVI® gold-to-green and a holographic stripe on the front, and Louisenthal’s magnetic machine-readable RollingStar® Cube thread on the back. The note is printed with intaglio on both sides on Louisenthal’s durable Longlife substrate. The notes also feature tactile marks for the visually-impaired.
The principal design theme of the new series celebrates Thai kings from different periods.
2015 Best New Banknote

1,000 Baht
Bank of Thailand
2014 Best New Series
New Kuwaiti Dinar Series
The new Kuwaiti Dinar Series is the first redesign in the country since 1994 and combines bold and modern designs with new state-of-the-art security features. The six denominations celebrate different aspects of Kuwait’s history, heritage and economic success, with each note featuring a different theme such as Ruling and the Sea, Democracy and the Desert, and History and Islam. Iconic and culturally-significant buildings are shown on the front while images denoting the country’s attributes and accomplishments are displayed on the back.
A series of new security features have been integrated into the banknotes, including a wide windowed StarBrightTM colour changing security thread, the optically-variable SPARK® OrbitalTM ink and SpectrumTM, a feature generated from a combination of intaglio and offset print to create changing colours or shapes when the note is tilted.
Attention has also been paid to make the new series ‘user-friendly’ for the blind and visually impaired – an increasingly important topic in banknote design – and the new Kuwaiti banknotes feature strongly tactile embossed intaglio engravings, both in the raised denomination numeral on the front and the symbol on either side.
The new banknotes were designed and printed by De La Rue. The award was presented to Tim Jones of De La Rue who collected the award on behalf of the Central Bank of Kuwait.
2014 Best New Series

New Kuwaiti Dinar Series
Central Bank of Kuwait
2012 Best New Series
Fijian Banknote Series
The regional Banknote of the Year Award recognises outstanding achievement in the design, technical sophistication and security of a banknote or banknote series, the key judging criteria being that successful banknotes should combine visual artistry and high levels of technical and security sophistication, with considerable emphasis placed on reflecting the cultural heritage of the issuing country in the note, and the relevance of the overall design and symbolism to the issuing country.
The new Fijian series, which was issued in December 2012, celebrates Fiji’s endemic plants and animals, some of which are believed to be extinct, images of which replaced the portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II across all denominations. The lowest denomination in the series, the $5, was the first note in the world to be produced on De La Rue’s SafeGuard™ polymer substrate.
The award was received by Barnaby Dicks, Regional Manager Asia for De La Rue (designers and printers of the new series) on behalf of the Bank, who commented: ‘I am delighted to be accepting this award on behalf of the Reserve Bank of Fiji. We are proud to be their partner in the creation of this exciting and imaginative new series, for which the award is a deserving tribute for the Bank’.
2012 Best New Series

Fijian Banknote Series
Reserve Bank of Fiji
Regional ID Document
2018 Best New ePassport
Malaysian ePassport
The first joint winner was the Immigration Department of Malaysia, of the Ministry of Home Affairs, for the new Malaysian ePassport. Launched in November 2017, it has received a major upgrade in its design and a host of enhanced security features. The country was the first in the world to develop and introduce ePassports back in 1998.
The new pages show batik designs in blue, red and orange. The inside cover has songket motifs resembling a golden weave, while two hibiscus flowers bloom on the inside back cover. The inside pages also feature iconic national landmarks such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur Tower, Istana Negara and Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Malaysia. The Rukunegara principles (national principles) are evident in the images chosen: a mosque (belief in God); Istana Negara (loyalty to king and country); Parliament (the supremacy of the Constitution); the Federal Court (the rule of law); and the National Museum showing Malaysia’s heritage and culture (courtesy and morality).
The upgraded security features include an embedded chip in the polycarbonate personal particulars page. Formerly, the chip was in the back cover. The chip’s new position makes the passport harder to forge and allows data to be read more easily.
The new polycarbonate datapage features a variety of built-in security elements, including tri-coloured security thread stitched with back-sewn lock, and the groundbreaking true-colour UV security elements based on Gemalto’s Sealys True Vision solution. It offers high-resolution UV images with high brilliance and outstanding colour reproduction, protecting the document from duplication and reproduction.
The Malaysian authorities h also selected the highly flexible and patented passport datapage hinge with the integrated UV printing element, which guarantees a secure and robust sewing of the datapage into the passport booklet.
The prime contractor for the project was Datasonic Group. De La Rue designed the document along with Portals, who supplied the paper, whilst Gemalto was responsible for designing and producing the datapage..
2018 Best New ePassport

Malaysian ePassport
Immigration Department of Malaysia
2018 Best New ID card
Philippines Seafarer eID card
The second joint winner was Philippines Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) for the new Philippines Seafarer eID card.
One of the issues considered crucial for improving maritime security is ensuring that seafarers have documents enabling their ‘positive verifiable identification’. Many countries require such identification before they are prepared to grant special facilities enabling seafarers to carry out the international professional moves necessary for their work and well-being.
In 2005 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) adopted common standards for seafarers’ identity documents through the implementation of ICAO Document 9303. The new standards, known as Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (No.185), introduced modern security features to help resolve the urgent question of seafarers being refused admission into the territory of countries visited by their ships for the purposes of shore leave, and transit and transfer to join or change ships.
Philippines has the largest seafarer population in the world. In order to facilitate seafarers’ access to land and basic services the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority launched a brand new eSID card.
The card is fully compliant with ILO requirements and features a number of state-of-the-art security features including holographic images, guilloche background, coloured photo and hidden personalised image technology from Jura (IPI). The card has a 10-year lifespan and integrates a contactless chip with Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) printed on the back.
MARINA went the extra mile and implemented SURYS’ digital breakthrough technology Photometrix™, a digital seal for offline identity picture authentication. The technology protects the cardholder’s picture by guaranteeing its authenticity through an encrypted 2D barcode printed on the back which can be read with a standard smartphone to confirm it hasn’t been tampered with. Photometrix™ has been developed with the Privacy by Design standards in mind and will allow seafarers to access various services while keeping the entire ownership of their identity.
2018 Best New ID card

Philippines Seafarer eID card
Philippines Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
2016 Best New ePassport
Philippines ePassport
The country’s new passport features a visually-striking design as well as a series of new security features. The award was presented jointly to the Department of Foreign Affairs and APO Production Unit.
The Philippines consists of more than 7,100 islands, with its three main islands divided into 17 regions. Filipinos have a strong loyalty to the region of their birth – and local designers were engaged to tell the story that would represent the diverse customs, art, music and language of these regions. With 12 million citizens working abroad, the design of the new passport was designed to provide a lasting reminder of their hometown.
Each leaf of the 44-page document prominently highlights many aspects of Filipino history, culture and life, in particular the Philippine eagle which is the national bird and one of the rarest species in the world. Other pages feature artefacts dating back to the Neolithic period, the UNESCO-heritage site of Vigan and the island of Palawan, considered to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world.
The new ePassport also introduces a series of state-of-the-art features to improve document security and prevent tampering. These include latent IR (infa-red) intaglio printing, rainbow print, fluorescence under UV (ultra-violet) light, multi-colour see-through feature and laser perforation.
As part of the new implementation, APO Production Unit opened a new high security printing plant in Batangas, with a streamlined enrolment and personalisation process which includes fingerprint capture. This has reduced the time required to process a new passport from 15 to ten working days.
The award was accepted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and APO Production Unit.
2016 Best New ePassport

Philippines ePassport
Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs
2015 Best New ID card
Nigeria National Identity Card
Nigeria launched one of Africa’s most ambitious financial inclusion and identity verification projects in August 2014, with 100 million Nigerians set to receive а biometric-based verification card featuring an electronic payment solution from MasterCard.
The e-ID card forms a key component of the Nigerian Identity Management System, as part of a mandate to create, maintain and operate the country’s first central National Identity Database and provide proof of identity to all Nigerians 16 years and older.
The card is expected to provide millions of Nigerians – the majority of whom have never had access to a banking product – with the security, convenience and reliability of electronic payments.
A core element of the project is the new multi-purpose e-ID combining 13 applications in total. The Swiss manufacturer of polycarbonate documents Trüb is the supplier of the new card, which is equipped with a chip module for the storage of personal and biometric data of the cardholder as well as keys, certificates and other information for the use of the various e-services and applications.
Personalisation of the card is performed with laser engraving to achieve high durability and strong fraud prevention. The card also features a number of visible and hidden security elements to eliminate any possibility of tampering or altering the original document.
2015 Best New ID card

Nigeria National Identity Card
National Identity Management Commission of Nigeria
2015 Best New ID card
Macao SAR Resident Identity Card
The new polycarbonate e-ID card is a purely contactless smart ID card – and this is the first time in the world that a public body has made the switch straight from a contact-based to a contactless card system.
The smart ID card features multiple applications, in particular a legally binding digital signature. In combination with smartphones, the implemented security mechanisms can also be used for a mobile authentication of the card holder.
As well as providing visual and secure electronic proof of identity, the ID card allows citizens to handle dealings with the authorities electronically, saving them time and offering added convenience. It is one of the first ID cards worldwide which technically supports secure electronic signatures with a purely contactless solution.
Faster data transfer rates when reading the new card will also help speed up processing of the large number of people travelling between Macau, Hong Kong and China.
The prime contractor for the manufacture and delivery of the new ID cards was Veridos with Gemalto supplying the cards.
2015 Best New ID card

Macao SAR Resident Identity Card
Macao SAR Identification Services Bureau
2014 Best New ePassport
Oman e-passport
The new Oman e-passport was launched in January 2015 and replaces the country’s machine-readable passports with a document that is fully compliant with the latest ICAO standards and globally interoperable. The new document also incorporates a microchip containing the holder’s information including biometric identity, a digital image and electronic signature.
The passports contain several advanced security elements with each of three different types of passport (ordinary, royal diplomacy and laissez-passer) featuring a different holographic laminate. The award judges commended the designers on the fine-tuned and eye-catching high security foils, with designs that include the national emblem of the Sultanate of Oman, the Muscat Royal Palace and a traditional rosacea.
Among the security features integrated into the new documents are holographic and non-holographic animated features, including micro-diffractive elements inserted in the holographic design, chemical securities such as UV and OVI security inks and the use of Alphagram™ and Movigram® animations. A circular animation of the guilloche covers the bearer’s picture.
The design and implementation of the holographic and other security features was provided by Hologram Industries. Gemalto were responsible for the supply of the new e-passport with HJP Consulting providing consultancy services.
The award was made to Hugues Souparis, Managing Director of Hologram Industries.
2014 Best New ePassport

Oman e-passport
Royal Oman Police
2012 Best New ID card
South African National Identity Card
The Regional ID Document of The Year aims to promote the best in security printing, system infrastructure and implementation of a government passport, identity or other security card scheme.
The new South African national identity card, the public roll-out of which began in October this year, is not only regarded as state-of-the-art, security technology that will raise the level of identity management in South Africa, but also as a restorer of common citizenship to a nation that was, not so long ago, racially divided by ID documents from the apartheid-era.
The new card, which is made from a one-piece polycarbonate substrate, carries laser-engraved variable data, two kinds of optical security, luminescence, a second photo on the back, an embedded microchip, and two bar codes (one of which is for voting purposes).
The card is also seen as a major step towards cleaning up a national population register that harbours thousands of duplicate ID numbers. The award was received by Professor Anthony Mbewu, CEO of Government Printing Works.
2012 Best New ID card

South African National Identity Card
South Africa Home Affairs
Lifetime Achievement Award
2018 Lifetime Achievement
Lydia Chan
Finally, a special Lifetime Achievement Award was made to Lydia Chan, Head of the Currency and Settlement Division at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, who will be retiring early next year.
Ms Chan was appointed to her current post in 2002. During the 13 years of a busy note issuance schedule, she has masterminded three banknote series for the three commercial note issuing banks, each with 15 designs, two designs of the Hong Kong Government $10 note in paper and polymer, and five very successful commemorative notes, which raised a total of US$100 million for local charity projects. As such, she has overseen the issue of more individual banknotes during her tenure than any other head of currency.
2018 Lifetime Achievement

Lydia Chan
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
2012 Lifetime Achievement
Dr Nopporn Pramoney
In addition to the regional banknote and ID document awards, a Special Lifetime Achievement Award was made to Dr Nopporn Pramoney of the Bank of Thailand, who retired at the end of September.
He has worked at the Bank’s Note Printing Works since 1982 and was involved in five series of banknotes, from Series 12 through to Series 16. He was instrumental in guiding and steering the move of the old printing works from the Bank’s premises in the centre of Bangkok to the state-of-the-art new Note Printing Works in Nakhom Pathan , inaugurated in 2007.
Commenting on the Lifetime Achievements Award, Martyn White, Chairman of Reconnaissance International, noted that Dr Nopporn’s leadership went beyond the confines of the normal and more than sufficient challenge of production and issue of banknotes.
This was demonstrated during the 2011 floods in Bangkok when – despite many staff being unable to get tow work and despite unprecedented d demand caused by the floods – the printing and supply of currency into the cash cycle was maintained. ‘He is somebody who has truly given his lifetime to banknote production and issue, who has also faced and overcome some highly extraordinary challenges’ said Mr White, on presenting the award to Dr Nopporn.
2012 Lifetime Achievement

Dr Nopporn Pramoney
Bank of Thailand
Make a Nomination
The award judges comprise the Board of Directors of Reconnaissance International, the conference organiser and publisher of Currency News and ID & Secure Document News.
Nominations are also sought from the high security printing community and this community will be invited to take part in the process of shortlisting winners as well.
If you have a project that you would like to nominate for this year’s event, please submit the details using the form below or email Sam Burns sam@reconnaissance-intl.com. . The deadline for nominations is 08 November 2021.