Bank of England Considers Putting Wildlife Photos on Banknotes

Some lucky photographers may have their work immortalized on British banknotes after the Bank of England asked the public to select animals to replace the historical figures that currently sit on the £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes.

The decision to replace historical figures like Winston Churchill and Alan Turing has provoked the ire of some politicians, but the Bank of England says that change is needed to “increase counterfeit resilience.”

Britain’s central bank has launched a consultation that focuses on wildlife, asking the nation which animals they would like to see on the banknotes.

“Each denomination will need to be easy to tell apart,” the Bank of England says. “It is important that there are four distinct animals across the four denominations and that they are able to represent different environments from across the U.K. The central images will be complemented with additional elements from wildlife and nature.”

Photographers Andrew Parkinson, Jon Hawkins, Terry Whittaker, Lynne Newton, Amy Lewis, Neil Aldridge, Mark Hamblin, and Danny Green have all contributed photographs to the initial consultation and shortlisting phase.

The bank has split the animals into three categories: Mammals, Birds, and Amphibians, insects, and fish. The mammal category includes the red fox, European hedgehog, pine marten, grey seal, brown hare, and bottlenose dolphin. The bird category has the great spotted woodpecker, puffin, barn owl, white-tailed eagle, kingfisher, and curlew. Finally, the common frog, marsh fritillary butterfly, Atlantic salmon, basking shark, emperor dragonfly, and buff-tailed bumblebee make up the amphibians, insects, and fish category.

The public can cast their vote via The Wildlife Trusts website. The consultation will end on July 3.

“I very much hope the public will enjoy engaging in our consultation to choose the animals to feature on our next series of banknotes,” says Victoria Cleland, the Bank’s chief cashier, whose signature appears on banknotes. “The shortlisted animals demonstrate the rich variety of wildlife we have to celebrate in the UK.”

A panel of experts, including wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff, and Nadeem Perera, helped select the shortlist. But ultimately, it will be Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey who makes the final decision. The four animals that receive the highest number of votes will not necessarily be the four that appear on the legal tender.

The British monarch will remain on the front of the banknote.

Image credits: Courtesy Bank of England