Banknote Design Competition

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Bank of Israel, the Ministry of Education and the Bank of Israel launched a joint educational and community initiative—a competition to design an imaginary banknote. The theme chosen for the design in the competition was: “Social Cohesion, Revival, and Heroism Following the Swords of Iron War.” The competition was held among students in grades 7 to 10 in schools across the country. As part of the initiative, students received an initial glimpse into the world of economics, while conveying moral, educational, artistic, and creative messages that reflect the Israeli cultural mosaic.

Banknote Design Catalog

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Meet the Finalists

1. Soldier at Sunrise - Middle School B, Abu Snaan
2. Lion at the Western Wall - ORT Girls High School, Tiberias
3. Hannah Szenes - Rabin High School, Kiryat Yam
4. Kiddush - Sinai State Religious School, Ramle
5. Soldier with Flag - Chen School for Young Ambassadors, Petach Tikva
6. Butterfly - Shalom State Religious School, Petach Tikva
7. Destruction and Revival - HaYovel Middle School, Mevasseret Tzion
8. Female Soldier Looking to the Horizon - Motta Gur Municipal School C, Modi’in
9. Soldier and Star of David - Kiryat Arba Girls High School, Hevron
10. Ariel Bibas Gvanim Comprehensive School, Menashe Regional Council

Congratulations to the 1st Place Winner

Destruction and Revival - HaYovel Middle School, Mevasseret Tzion

The design symbolizes the revival and return to routine following the October 7 massacre. A focus of the banknote is a house divided into 2, with one side showing the destruction and devastation at the beginning of the war, and the other showing revival and the return to life in the Kibbutzim.

The elements in the banknote include: a tractor, symbolizing the farming and prosperity of the Kibbutzim and the return to routine; fields and wheat, growing again, symbolizing growth and renewal; and thatch leaves, symbolizing the connection of the events to the holiday of Sukkot. The security features in the design include a picture of wheat that changes color when water is dripped on it (according to the scientific principle of chromatography, which enables the separate of materials in a mixture such that the purple color is broken down into red and blue), an olive leaf within the number 70, symbolizing peace, and two rusty iron swords, symbolizing fatigue for the war and the yearning for peace.

The main sentence, “The wheat grows again”, written by poetess Dorit Tzameret, emphasizes the belief in renewal and in hope, and sends the message that despite the destruction, life continues and revival is possible.

School principal: Gali Schneider
Guiding teacher: Rinat Muzar
Students involved in the design: Oriah Malka, Matan Eini, Shai Isak, Eitan Sa’adon, and Yoav Cohen

Animated banknotes

1. Soldier at Sunrise - Middle School B, Abu Snaan
2. Lion at the Western Wall - ORT Girls High School, Tiberias
3. Hannah Szenes - Rabin High School, Kiryat Yam
4. Kiddush - Sinai State Religious School, Ramle
5. Soldier with Flag - Chen School for Young Ambassadors, Petach Tikva
6. Butterfly - Shalom State Religious School, Petach Tikva
7.Destruction and Revival - HaYovel Middle School, Mevasseret Tzion
8. Female Soldier Looking to the Horizon - Motta Gur Municipal School C, Modi’in
9. Soldier and Star of David - Kiryat Arba Girls High School, Hevron
10. Ariel Bibas Gvanim Comprehensive School, Menashe Regional Council