The prestigious Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards form part of the industry’s High Security Printing (HSP) Asia Conference. This year’s event was held in Bangkok, Thailand, with the awards presented at a special ceremony during the conference dinner on 3 December.
The regional Banknote of the Year Awards recognises outstanding achievement in the design, technical sophistication and security of a banknote or banknote series, with emphasis placed on reflecting the cultural heritage of the issuing country in the note, and the relevance of the overall design and symbolism.
The regional ID Document of the Year Awards – which recognise outstanding achievement and technical sophistication of a personal identification or travel document – 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 for the Banknote awards – Best New Series, Best New Banknote, and Best New Commemorative Banknote – with Tonga, China, Thailand, and Kazakhstan all receiving recognition this year.
There were two categories for the ID awards this year – Best New Digital ID Card and Best New ID Card Passport – with the Philippines and Macau both receiving recognition.
Regional Banknote of the Year Awards
Best New Banknote Series
The award for the Best New Banknote Series went to the National Reserve Bank of Tonga for its new series of Pa’anga banknotes. The series was launched exactly a year ago, on 4 December, the birthday of HM King Tupou 1, the first ruler of modern Tonga.
The notes, which replaced the 2015 series, were designed and printed by De La Rue, and are in six denominations, ranging from 2 to 100 pa’angas (T$). The two most heavily used notes – the T$5 and T$10 – are on SAFEGUARD® polymer, with a transparent window incorporating an image of the current king, Tupou VI.
The other four notes are on paper. The highest denomination (T$100) features an 18mm wide NEXUS micro-optics thread, the T$50 an IGNITE® dynamic micro-optic thread, and the T$20 a PUREIMAGE™ holographic thread.
All six notes feature Enhanced GEMINI™ and BLINK™ Level 2 UV and phosphorescent features respectively.
The colours are the same as those of the previous series, and a portrait of King Tupou VI appears on the front, as it did before, albeit that the notes have fresher and more modern appearance.
The designs on the reverse depict aspects of the Kingdom’s culture, history, and aspirations, with each denomination encapsulating a different theme – including tourism, governance, stability, growth, and culture.
Best New Banknote
The National Bank of Kazakhstan won the award for the Best New Banknote for the 10,000 tenge ‘Saka Style’ note issued earlier this year. It is the second banknote of the new ‘Saka Style’ series – which draws inspiration from elements of the ancient Saka culture, a key precursor to traditional Kazakh ornamentation . The series aims to evoke national pride, deepen cultural awareness, and promote environmental stewardship among Kazakhstan’s citizens.
The front of the note features a Tree of Life branch and soaring bird (signifying the sacred bond between nature and belief systems), a DNA spiral and infinity symbol (underscoring the intrinsic link between humanity and the natural environment), and a leopard on a mountain peak (symbolising fearlessness, power, and beauty).
The back of the banknote features a snow leopard and ornamental shield (representing the protection of values, cardinal directions, and the life-giving energy symbolised by the solar sign at the centre) and a leopard head with griffins (symbolising determination and strength). Central to the reverse side is the landscape of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains, reflecting Kazakhstan’s natural beauty and ecological diversity. The intricate background features the Kazakh infinity ornament, encapsulating the nation’s vast and varied terrain.
Advanced security features include Louisenthal’s Varifeye® ColourChange Patch, which shimmers gold in direct light with the mountain top outlining appearing blue in translucent light, Crane Currency’s RAPID® Vision 5mm wide micro-optics windowed thread, and SICPA’s SPARK Flow® Dimension.
The banknotes have also been designed with accessibility in mind. Raised lines along the long edges help the visually impaired to identify the denomination, complemented by a larger, high-contrast numeral.
Best New Commemorative Banknote
The Best New Commemorative Banknote accolade was presented jointly this year to both the Bank of Thailand and China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation (CBPM).
The Bank of Thailand was awarded for its 100 baht commemorative banknote, issued to celebrate HM King Rama X’s 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary on 28 July. Designed in a vertical format, in common with other commemorative notes issued to celebrate royal milestones, and to distinguish it from circulating banknotes, the note is legal tender.
The front of the banknote depicts His Majesty wearing the Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao breast chain, in addition to ‘Yellow Star’ flowers (or ruang phueng), his symbolic flower . The back features a standing portrait of the King holding a sword, as well as an image of ratchaphruek, the national flower.
A window printed with special golden ink outlines the white-coloured Garuda (state emblem) on both sides, whilst a Thai diamond-shaped ornament clear window has a partial pattern of yellow star flower with special ink printed in the center. The pattern moves and colour changes from gold to green when the note is tilted.
A clear octagon-shaped window features an embossed tiny bullet-wood flower in addition to the Thai denomination which has been printed with four transparent horizontal raised lines, with features provided to aid the visually impaired in detecting the banknote.
The Bank of Thailand issued 10 million commemorative banknotes, in addition to 2 million banknote display sleeves, with the latter available to purchase at 10 baht each and all proceeds presented to the King for royal charities at his discretion.
China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation was awarded for its 20 yuan commemorative banknote, issued to celebrate the 2024 Year of the Dragon. Issued in December 2023, the note was printed on polymer .
The obverse of the banknote showcases an image of the dragon, inspired from an ascending dragon bas-relief on the Nine-Dragon Wall – a renowned historical monument in Beijing. The design also incorporates influences from traditional Chinese glazed tile craftsmanship, featuring patterns of the rising sun and auspicious clouds. The Chinese dragon depicted on the banknote is adorned with a vibrant array of colours, mirroring the traditional Chinese glazed tile firing technique.
A holographic colour shift LiveColor@ security stripe and transparent window below the central motif depict the Chinese character 福 (fu, meaning good fortune) and floral elements. The stripe displays dynamic features of red, gold and turquoise alternately changing when the note is tilted.
The reverse of the banknote features a scene of children performing a dragon dance to welcome the spring, inspired by the Chinese Lunar New Year dance tradition and the traditional Chinese painting theme of ‘Bai Zi He Chun’ (Hundred Children Celebrating Spring). They perform against a backdrop of a Siheyuan (or Beijing courtyard), depicting the folk custom of performing dragon dances to pray for favourable weather and a bountiful harvest.
All elements of the new note – including the design, polymer substate, plates, special stripe and the print itself – were undertaken by CBPM. Around 100 million of the banknotes were made available for circulation, obtainable via online reservations and offline exchanges.
Regional ID Document of the Year Awards
Best New Digital ID Card Award
The Philippine government’s Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) played a pivotal role in transforming the country’s identity infrastructure with a digital solution. Officially launched on June 10, 2024, the country’s mobile national ID which is also ISO-compliant is accessible via the eGovPH mobile application. Its accessibility and interoperability ensures broad usability by citizens and various sectors, including government agencies, financial institutions, and the private sector.
The mobile national ID within the eGovPH app functions as a legal proof of identity and the app as a one-stop digital platform for Filipinos to securely store and access their government-issued IDs, and perform essential government transactions such as tax payments, social security and healthcare services.. Its design incorporates advanced security measures, ensuring authenticity of each issued ID. The app streamlines verification processes across government and private institutions, enhancing efficiency and reducing fraud.
HID®, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, alongside its partner, security systems integrator FMC Research Solutions Inc. congratulate the Philippine government’s Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for winning the Best New Digital ID Card 2024 Award for the Philippines Digital National ID at High Security Printing (HSP) Conference Asia 2024.
Best New ID Card Award
The Macau Special Administrative Region’s Electronic Identity (MEID), developed in collaboration with Veridos, introduces a suite of innovations that place it at the forefront of global identity management systems. The MEID integrates Veridos’ cutting-edge Lumen ID Echo technology. This pioneering feature introduces a secondary colour image of the cardholder embedded within a transparent window of the ID card, complementing the primary black-and-white photograph. This dual-image design represents a significant advance in anti-forgery measures, ensuring an unprecedented level of document security.
The MEID is built on the robust Smartcafé Expert 8.0 platform, a Common Criteria-certified JavaCard chip operating system that supports biometric identification and digital signatures. These features enable secure access to an array of online government services, fostering a more connected and efficient interaction between citizens and the state.
Complementing this advanced technological architecture is the implementation of a centralised personalisation system and a new Card Application Management System (CAMS), designed to streamline the issuance and management of these high-security ID cards. Veridos’ involvement extended to major software enhancements, ensuring that the system is both scalable and future-ready, capable of integrating additional functionalities and security features over time.
Both the Philippine’s Digital National ID and Macau’s MEID exemplify the potential of modern technology to redefine identity management. These projects demonstrate how secure, user-centric solutions can meet the complex demands of governments and citizens alike.
