Consultation paper: Help us celebrate the UK’s wildlife

Overview

We are designing the next series of banknotes, which will include updated security features to ensure the public can continue to use cash with confidence – and we’d like your help.

After a public consultation in July 2025, we announced in March 2026 that we have decided to use the theme of nature, with a particular focus on images of the UK’s wildlife, on the next series of banknotes.

We are considering which animals to use as the central image on each of the four denominations (£5, £10, £20 and £50). A panel of wildlife experts from across the UK has helped us develop a shortlist and we would like to hear which animals you would prefer to see on our banknotes.

The shortlist includes a range of native animals found across the UK. They have been grouped into three categories which cover a variety of species and environments. Featuring a range of different animals across each of the banknotes will help make them easily recognisable to the public. The list for the public to choose from is:

Only the animals on the shortlist published today can feature as the main images on the new series. We are not seeking any alternative nominations.

Please choose up to two animals from each of the three categories before 11:59pm BST on Friday 3 July 2026 either by using this form, emailing enquiries@bankofengland.co.uk or writing to us at:

Banknote Imagery Consultation
Notes Directorate
Bank of England
Threadneedle Street
London
EC2R 8AH

Why are we designing a new series of banknotes?

As the UK’s central bank, one of our important roles is to make sure that you have a choice in how you pay for things and that you can do so safely.

While the use of cash for transactions has declined over the past 20 years, it remains the preferred payment method for about one in seven people and is used by many more. The value of cash in circulation has also continued to increase, reaching £91.5 billion at the end of February 2026.

It is important that the public can continue to use cash with confidence. To ensure our banknotes remain secure, we periodically issue a new series which incorporates the latest security features to help prevent counterfeits. When we issue a new series, we also usually update the imagery on banknotes to help the public easily distinguish them.

When redesigning banknotes, we also want to make sure they are accessible. The new series will continue to incorporate features to help blind and partially sighted people identify their value.

The sizes of the banknotes and the overall colour scheme will not change. We will continue to include a portrait of the monarch.

Why did we choose wildlife?

We have been issuing notes since soon after the Bank was founded in 1694. Since then, we have updated them periodically to incorporate the newest security and accessibility features. With each redesign, we have changed the visual imagery so that you can easily tell the difference between the old and new banknotes.

Until the 1920s, all the Bank’s banknotes had a single-sided, calligraphic design. Multi-coloured, graphic designs were introduced in the late 1920s. Since 1970, we have showcased historical figures who have helped shape national thought, innovation, leadership and values on our banknotes. This includes our current series, which features portraits of Winston Churchill (£5), Jane Austen (£10), JMW Turner (£20) and Alan Turing (£50). While there are many other inspirational historical figures from a range of backgrounds who could feature on our banknotes, there are many other ways to celebrate the UK.

In 2025, we asked the public which theme they would like us to use on the next series of our banknotes. Nature received the highest proportion of nominations, as well as the most support in the focus groups we commissioned. Much of the feedback referred to images of animals that are native to the UK. This reflects how important wildlife is to the public. Animals are vital to our landscapes, ecosystems and everyday lives. They have long inspired iconic works of art, music and literature, and we are excited to showcase them on our next series of banknotes.

In line with our criteria that the chosen theme should support banknote authentication, we also judged that animal images would be effective for developing banknotes with security features that are easy for the public to recognise. The chosen animal imagery will be combined with security technology to help prevent counterfeiting. Animals are especially well suited for this, giving us many options to use recognisable forms and movements within the security features.

We will also showcase other elements from nature (eg plants and landscapes) as secondary parts of the design, such as the background.

How did we choose the shortlisted animals?

We worked with a panel of wildlife experts to develop a shortlist of animals for you to choose from.

Find out more about the experts on the panel.

• Katy Bell – Ulster wildlife

  Katy Bell is senior conservation officer at Ulster wildlife, managing species conservation projects across Northern Ireland. Katy holds a BSc in zoology from the University of Edinburgh and a master’s in ecology and conservation biology from Queen's University Belfast. Katy has worked in various research, ecology and conservation roles for universities and environmental NGOs.

• Gordon Buchanan MBE – wildlife filmmaker

  Gordon Buchanan is a renowned wildlife filmmaker and Sunday Times best-selling author who has worked on numerous BBC documentaries, including the popular The Family and Me series. With a career dedicated to capturing intimate wildlife stories, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to conservation and wildlife filmmaking.

• Miranda Krestovnikoff – wildlife presenter

  Miranda Krestovnikoff is a television and radio presenter and author specialising in natural history and environmental programming, including on the BBC’s the One Show and Coast. She is vice president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and a patron of numerous other wildlife organisations in the UK.

• Steve Ormerod – Cardiff University

  Steve Ormerod is a professor in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, specialising in freshwater ecology. Steve holds a PhD in river ecology from Cardiff and is also deputy chairman of Natural Resources Wales and a member of the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

• Nadeem Perera – wildlife presenter

  Nadeem Perera is a television presenter, author and cultural strategist working at the intersection of nature and identity. He is the founder of Hero Hyena, a culture-led creative studio exploring wildlife through contemporary storytelling. Nadeem has appeared on several wildlife programmes including BBC Two’s Springwatch and CBBC’s One Zoo Three. He also co-founded Flock Together, a birdwatching collective encouraging greater participation in nature among underrepresented communities.

• Dawn Scott – Nottingham Trent University

  Dawn Scott is Executive Dean of the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. Dawn is a Professor of Mammal Ecology and Conservation. She holds a PhD from the University of Durham and has served as trustee for the Wildlife Trust as well as a council member for the Mammal Society, a charity committed to the research and preservation of British mammals.

When deciding which animals to shortlist, the panel and the Bank considered a range of factors. The considerations included that the animals should be able to support banknote authentication, help the public clearly identify each denomination and are able to symbolise the UK. Therefore, the shortlist only includes animals native to the UK that are easily recognisable and can easily be integrated with the security features which will be included on the banknote.

The shortlist includes a variety of animals from a range of environments across the UK. This is important to help ensure that all four banknotes are distinct from and also able to complement each other as a series.

Only the animals on the shortlist published today will feature as the main images on the new series. We are not seeking any alternative nominations.

What happens next?

The consultation will close at 11:59pm BST on Friday 3 July 2026. We are keen to hear the public’s views, which will be an important consideration in making our final decision on the design.

Each denomination (£5, £10, £20, £50) will also need to be easy to tell apart. 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 UK.

Taking this into account, it is possible that the Bank may not necessarily choose the four animals that receive the highest number of responses. Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, will make the final decision, taking into account the public’s feedback. The Bank will announce the outcome of this consultation by the end of 2026.

It will be a number of years before the next series is launched. It is a detailed, multi-year process to design, test and print the notes, ensuring they are high-quality, resilient, accessible and incorporate the latest anti-counterfeiting technology.

Where can you find out more about the shortlisted animals?

This information has been provided by the Wildlife Trusts.