International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) 2015 Excellence in Currency Awards for Coins 2015 will be presented at The Coin Conference 2015 on 22 October 2015 in Madrid, Spain. In 2013, Bank Negara Malaysia is one of the nominees for the Best New Coin Series category.
This year there will be four categories:
Best New Circulating Coin or Series:
A category that asseses the historical content, continuity of series, innovation, uniqueness, security and overall coin design. The coins shortlisted for 2015 are:
• Papua New Guinea 50 toea ‘XV Pacific Games’ (Royal Australian Mint);
• Tanzania 500 shilingi (The Royal Mint);
• Peru 1 nuevo sol ‘Sacred City of Caral’ (Central Reserve Bank of Peru)
Best New Coin Innovation:
This category refers to a new idea or process that enhances the security, appearance or durability of circulating coins. It may also include innovation in the distribution and recycling of circulating coins, including policy initiatives. The projects shortlisted for 2015 are:
• Hong Kong Monetary Authority: Coin Collection Programme;
• Royal Spanish Mint: Quadruple Latent Image;
• The Royal Mint: Coin Reclamation Programme
Best New Circulating Commemorative or Test Coin:
A New Category for 2015: The coin must be legal tender and made available or issued to the public at face value. This category is designed for circulating coins, the main purpose of which is to commemorate a special event or person. It does NOT include collectors or souvenir coins sold at above face value. the coins shortlisted for 2015 are:
• New Zealand 50 cent Anzac Centenary coin (Royal Canadian Mint);
• Netherlands €2 marking the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Royal Dutch Mint);
• Armenia 200 dram ‘Wild trees of Armenia’ (Central Bank of Armenia)
Best Public Education Campaign or Website:
A New Category for 2015: The education or public campaign programme should be designed to inform stakeholders, including the general public in a user friendly format, perhaps using multiple communication channels such as brochures, social media, smartphone apps etc. The 2015 shortlist comprises:
• Bank of Mexico: 20 peso commemorative coins and banknote and coins exchange program;
• Royal Canadian Mint: program for 25-cent coins commemorating the Canadian Artic Expedition centenary;
• The Royal Mint: Lucky Penny Campaign.
For more information about the Excellence in Currency Awards for Coins 2015, you can read here: Coin Conference.
