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Children's designs for new banknotes

Handdrawn image of a green tree against an orange background and the text sycamore gap, on a handdrawn design for a new Bank of England £10 note Bank of England

A popular theme seems to be the Sycamore Gap tree which was illegally cut down in 2023

Earlier this month the Bank of England asked for the public's help to redesign their banknotes.

This is a pretty big deal as this would be their first major redesign in more than 50 years, and lots of people have been sending in their suggestions.

In fact the bank says it's already received thousands of responses, many of which have come from young people.

This is something the bank were surprised by, as it's often thought that teenagers and young adults prefer to use mobile payments than cash to pay for things.

The deadline for suggesting a new theme is in the end of July, so if you want to get involved there isn't much time left.

Take a look at some of the designs that have been sent in so far and let us know in the comments what you think!

Handdrawn design in felt tip pen showing a blue dolphin on a Bank of England branded £10 banknote, with the numbers written in orange Bank of England

This design suggests a dolphin should be on £10 notes

Handdrawn image of a tree in grey pencil with the text "Sycamore for ever..." on a template provided by the Bank of England for a new £5 note Bank of England

Another design featuring the Sycamore Gap tree

Handdrawn image of a robin shown on a template provided by the Bank of England for a new £5 note Bank of England

How about this one with a robin?

These are just some of the designs it's received which include a dolphin, the Sycamore Gap tree, and the Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead.

In the past, banknotes have often featured the faces of important historical figures, such as war-time Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and celebrated playwright William Shakespeare.

But the Bank of England are keen to embrace something new, and some of the themes they suggested are landmarks, art, nature, innovation, or key events in history.

This could make them more similar to banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland which already carry images of landmarks and animals such as otters.

Euro banknotes show different architectural styles, and famous buildings.

Who will decide on what design is chosen? That will be made by the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey, and we're very excited to see what design he'll go for.

What do you think of these designs? What would you want to see featured on banknotes?