Best Banknote and ID Document
One of the highlights of the High Security Printing™ conferences each year are the regional awards for the best banknotes and ID documents.
The deadline for nominations is 15 October 2023. Use the form at the bottom of this page to submit your entry.
Award Categories

Regional Banknote
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.
There are three categories:
- Best New Banknote
- Best New Banknote Series
- Best New Commemorative Banknote
Judging panel:
- David Tidmarsh – Chairman of Currency Publications Ltd (co-publishers of Currency News)
- Mark Stevenson – President of the International Banknote Designers Association
- Lydia Yip – former Head of the Currency Division, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
- Lahcen Hadouni – former Director General of the Moroccan printworks Dar as-Sikkah
- Francisco Mandiola – former Managing Director of Casa de Moneda Chile

Regional ID Document
The Regional ID Document of The Year awards – which recognise outstanding achievement and technical sophistication of a personal identification or travel document programme – are designed to promote the best in system infrastructure and implementation of a government passport, identity or other secure identification scheme.
There are three categories:
- Best New Passport
- Best New National ID Card
- Best New ID or Travel Document.
Judging panel:
- Francis Tuffy – ID & Secure Document News Editor
- Achim Hildebrandt – Former Head of Passports and ID Cards, Federal Ministry of the Interior – Germany
- Dr Alan Hodgson – Alan Hodgson Consulting Ltd
- John Mercer – Senior Associate, AJW-Inc.
- Monica Peralta – Document Expert at the Argentina Immigration Department.
- Tony Poole – Partner, AJW Inc.
Any new note (or series) or ID document (card, passport, licence) issued since the last HSP EMEA event will be considered. There is a cap for each regional award scheme of two nominations per organisation per category.
If you would like to make a nomination, please do so online by clicking the button below and submitting the name of the banknote(s) or document(s) you would like to nominate, details and images, and why you think it should be a winner. You will also need to provide a short video.
The deadline for nominations is 15 October 2023. The award ceremonies will be held in early December.
Please use the form at the bottom of this page to submit your nomination!
2021 Winners
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Regional Banknote of the Year
Best New Banknote

Australian $100
Reserve Bank of Australia
Best New Commemorative Banknote

Fijian $50
Reserve Bank of Fiji
Regional ID Document of the Year
Previous Years’ Winners
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Regional Banknote
Regional ID Document
2018 Best New ID card

Philippines Seafarer eID card
Philippines Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
2015 Best New ID card

Nigeria National Identity Card
National Identity Management Commission of Nigeria
Lifetime Achievement Award
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 15 October 2023.