coins and more: 4523) 2026 Coin of the Year (COTY) Winner Award went to the "Niue Paper Airplane coin": Ten Other Category Winners Announced for 2026:

4523) 2026 Coin of the Year (COTY) Winner Award went to the "Niue Paper Airplane coin": Ten Other Category Winners Announced for 2026:

To view a few posts on previous COTY and Coin Constellation (Russia) winners, please visit the following links:

1) Did You Know Series (25): The prestigious Krause Publications Annual World Coin Competition - Winners of the COTY 2015 and other 10 Category winners

2) Krause Publications Awards Coin of the Year and other Category winners - 2016

3) Coin of the Year and winners of the 10 sub-categories- 2017

4) Coin of the Year Awards - 2018 (COTY - 2018): i) A 5 Euro Polymer Coin from Germany is the winner of Coin of the Year 2018; ii) Other category winners.

5) Coin of the Year Awards - 2019 (COTY 2019): i) A 50 Euro Silver coin from France is the Winner of Coin of the Year - 2019; ii) Other Category Winners.

petition which selects the winning coins in 10 different categories & from among the winners - the "Coin of the Year"

7) Coin Of The Year (COTY) 2021: i) A Moon Landing Silver themes Coin minted by the US Mint is the COTY-2021 Winner ii) Other Category Winners

8) Coin Constellation - 2021, Russia: Fifteenth (XV) Coin Constellation Awards Competition held from 15.02.2021 to 14.04.2021

9) Coin Of The Year (COTY - 2022): i) "The Gold of the Pharoahs 100 Euro Gold Coin from the Austrian Mint, Vienna is the COTY-2022 Winner ii) Other Category Winners

10) Coin Of The Year Awards - 2023 (COTY): Category Winners

11) Coin of the Year (COTY), Ukraine: 30th Anniversary of Independence - A 5 Hryvnia Silver Coin celebrating 30 Years of Independence from the Russian Federation, issued in 2021 by the National Bank of Ukraine is the "Coin of the Year" for 2023

12) Coin Constellation - 2021, Russia: Fifteenth (XV) Coin Constellation Awards Competition held from 15.02.2021 to 14.04.2021

13) Second International Tiger Forum (05092022), held at Vladivostok, Russia: India Post has issued a postage stamp of 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) commemorating the event: Date of stamp issue: 05.09.2022

14) Coin of the Year Awards: COTY - 2024: 10 Category Winners: United States wins Coin of the Year (COTY - 2024)

15) Coin of the Year (COTY) 2025 and other Category Winners announced for 2025

16) 2026 Coin of the Year (COTY) Winner Award went to the "Niue Paper Airplane Coin"" Ten other Category Winners for 2026

For the IBNS "Banknote of the Year Award" winner posts on this blog, please visit the following links:

1) 50 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank in April 2016 wins the prestigious IBNS Award 2016

2) 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank wins the prestigious IBNS Award 2017

3) Currency of the Comoros Islands: Comorian Franc and Centimes; Also includes the 5000 Franc Banknote dated 2005 (but released into circulation in 2006), which was the 2007 IBNS Award Winner

4) 100 Florin Banknote issued by the Central Bank of Aruba is the winner of the 2019 International Banknote of the Year Award (IBNS)

5) 100 Levs Banknote from Bulgaria, wins the prestigious "Regional Banknote of the Year Award 2019"

6) Viola Desmond, Civil Rights Activist & the first Canadian woman to feature on a circulation Banknote: A $10 Polymer vertically oriented Banknote issued by Bank of Canada on 19.11.2018 is the 2018 IBNS Banknote of the Year

7) 100 Peso Banknote issued by the Banco de Mexico is the winner of the 2020 International Banknote of the Year Award (IBNS)

8) 50 Peso Banknote issued by the Banco de Mexico is the winner of the 2021 International Banknote of the Year Award (IBNS)

9) i) Philippines 1,000 Piso Banknote is the 2022 International Bank Note Society (IBNS) winner: ii) It is a competition among printers too: iii) About the International Bank Note Society (IBNS)

10) IBNS Banknote of the Year 2024,: The predominantly pink $5 Banknote issued by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) in its "Same look, Smarter design" campaign was by far the win ner of the 2024 IBNS Award

The 2026 Coin of the Year (COTY) awards officially began in early January with a worldwide call for nominations.

From the many issues released in 2025, mints, banks, and enthusiasts submitted nearly 600 coins for consideration.

A nominating committee then narrowed this number into the COTY 100, which contained 100 2025-dated candidates from 41 countries. Over 40 mints and central banks were represented in this group.

Ten standout coins were recognised for excellence in design at this year’s Coin of the Year ceremony in Oklahoma City.

The best in modern coinage was honoured at the 2025 Coin of the Year (COTY) ceremony.

Ten trophies were awarded to ten outstanding coins in artistry and innovation by an international panel of judges, of which one well-deserving issue was granted the prestigious Coin of the Year designation.

The programme was co-sponsored by the World’s Fair of Money® and The Journal of East Asian Numismatics.

In May 2026, ten coins in ten categories, identified as the COTY 100. The process then required the most challenging task of all: voting for the winners.

Many coins were neck-and-neck in the final hours of voting by the judges' panel, made up of over 100 individuals from a diverse collection of fields and expertise in numismatics.

Multiple categories had votes spread evenly across their competitors.

This selection features 10 outstanding coins in 10 specific categories.

The COTY champion will be honoured with the other category winners at the World’s Fair of Money on August 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Centre.

The following Coins out of ten contestants each were declared the winners:

The 2026 Coin of the Year (COTY) award went to the Niue Paper Airplane coin, a uniquely shaped issue that captured judges’ attention with its nostalgic design and artistic innovation.

🏆Winner of COTY - 2026: A $2 (Two Dollars) Niue Paper Airplane Coin with the theme - "Childhood Nostalgia", shaped like a folded paper airplane with a crumpled tip.

This Coin was also awarded the "Most Innovative Coin Award"..

The "BEST CROWN COIN" AWARD was awarded the the Republic of CHAD for its 10,000 Francs CFA Coin which depicted - "JULIUS CEASAR".

The "BEST CIRCULATING COIN" Award was won by Papua New Guinea for its entry on 50 TOEA Copper-Nickel Coin titled - "THE ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE" (50 Years).

The "BEST BI-METALLIC COIN" Category Award was won by Osterreich Republik (Austrian Republic) for is 25 EURO Silver-Niobium Coin titled - "DIGITALISATION".

The "MOST ARTISTIC COIN" Award was won by Ukraine which featured the 10 Hryvnias Silver Coin featuring - "Lyubov Panchenko" a Ukrainian visual artist and fashion designer.

The "MOST INSPIRATIONAL COIN" Award was won by Portugal for its 2-EURO Bimetallic Coin titled - "SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT".

The "BEST SILVER COIN" was awarded to the Republic of France (RF) 10 EURO Coin which featured the Tennis venue "ROLAND GARROS".

The "BEST CONTEMPORARY EVENT COIN AWARD went to Finland for its 50 EURO Gold-Silver-Copper coin featuring "FINNISH VETERANS" who fought in World War II (1939-1945).

The MOST HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT Coin Award went to Barbados for its entry of a $10 (Ten Dollars) Coin which depicted the "FIRST PUBLIC STEAM RAILWAY".

The "BEST GOLD COIN" Coin AWARD went to Latvia for its 10 EURO entry on which featured the theme - "OUR LAND".