News release

The Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and European hedgehog will represent UK wildlife and feature as the central images on our next series of banknotes.

The decision comes after nearly 500,000 people responded to a public consultation asking which native wildlife they would like to see on our banknotes. They chose from a shortlist of 18 options across three categories – mammals; birds; and amphibians, insects and fish – developed in collaboration with a panel of UK wildlife experts.

The Bank used the feedback from the consultation to decide on the four animals, one for each denomination of banknote. The selected animals meet the Bank’s objectives for a distinctive set of banknotes that can support counterfeit resilience and are representative of the UK.  

The barn owl (Tyto alba), buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) were the most popular animals in their respective categories. The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) was selected because it was the most popular marine animal. The inclusion of a marine animal will add variety to the series, making the denominations easier to distinguish and will provide an opportunity to celebrate the British coastline. 

The decision on which animal will feature on which denomination will be made in due course and announced closer to launch. While the selected animals will feature as the central imagery for the next series, the banknotes will also feature other elements from nature to complete the designs, potentially including other shortlisted animals. The next series will continue to include a portrait of the monarch.

It takes a number of years to design, test and print banknotes, to make sure they are high-quality, resilient and accessible. The expectation is, therefore, that the first denomination from the next series will be launched over the next few years.

Victoria Cleland, Bank of England Chief Cashier, said:

‘I am delighted that nearly half a million people responded to our wildlife imagery consultation, showing that cash still matters. I would like to thank everyone who engaged, including those who I met at our events. With their support, we have chosen four distinct and inspiring animals that not only showcase the great variety of wildlife we have in the UK but will also enhance the security of our banknotes.'

Rhys Phillips, the Bank’s incoming Chief Cashier who will be responsible for delivering the new series of notes, said:

'It’s fantastic to see how engaged the public have been in this choice. With these animals as the focus for the design we can deliver a new series of banknotes that are secure and represent the UK at its best. We’ll now work to design, test and produce the banknotes, combining the imagery we’ve announced today with cutting-edge security features and materials science’.

Notes to editors

1. In July 2025, the Bank announced that work would begin on designing the next series of banknotes, with the important goal to increase counterfeit resilience. As part of this, it also launched a consultation on the theme for the new images for the notes. The July 2025 theme consultation received over 44,000 responses and in March 2026, the Bank announced that nature had been chosen as the theme for the next series of banknotes. Nature received the highest proportion of nominations in the July 2025 consultation, with 60% of respondents nominating it as one of their preferred themes, as well as support in focus groups commissioned by the Bank.

2. The Bank engaged a panel of experts in UK wildlife to help create the shortlist of animals grouped into 3 categories to cover a variety of species and environments. The panel consisted of:

• Katy Bell, Ulster Wildlife
• Gordon Buchanan MBE, wildlife filmmaker
• Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter
• Steve Ormerod, Cardiff University
• Nadeem Perera, wildlife presenter
• Dawn Scott, Nottingham Trent University

3. On 3 June 2026, the Bank launched a second consultation asking the public which animals they would prefer to see used as the central images on the next series of banknotes. The consultation ran for a month until 3 July and received 478,531 responses. This is the most responses the Bank has ever received to a banknote imagery consultation. Respondents placed 2,549,003 selections across the shortlist of 18 animals.

4. The banknote design process involves scientific research on new materials and security features, incorporation of accessibility features, production of an overall design concept and detailed engraving work. Once these key phases are completed, manufacturing, trialling and full production will begin.

5. The shortlisted animals for the 2026 wildlife imagery consultation are below with the number of nominations they received in brackets.

• European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) (259,665)
• Red fox (244,651)
• Brown hare (130,614)
• Grey seal (92,043)
• Pine marten (82,773)
• Bottlenose dolphin (48,847)

• Barn owl (Tyto alba) (270,596)
• Common kingfisher (211,277)
• Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) (183,137)
• Great spotted woodpecker (86,839)
• White-tailed eagle (46,109)
• Eurasian curlew (44,521)

• Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (360,399)
• Emperor dragonfly (143,894)
• Common frog (120,382)
• Marsh fritillary butterfly (108,467)
• Basking shark (69,699)
• Atlantic salmon (45,090)

6. The first of the current notes (Series G) was the £5 issued in September 2016. This was followed by the £10 in September 2017, the £20 in February 2020 and the £50 note in June 2021. The current series features portraits of Sir Winston Churchill (£5), Jane Austen (£10), JMW Turner (£20) and Alan Turing (£50).

7. The Bank has been issuing notes since soon after its founding in 1694. More recently, the Bank has updated them periodically to incorporate the newest security and accessibility features. With each redesign, the Bank has changed the visual imagery so that the public can easily tell the difference between the old and the new banknotes. Until the 1920s, all the Bank’s notes had a single-sided, calligraphic design. Multi-coloured, graphic designs were introduced in the late 1920s. Since 1970, the Bank has showcased historical figures who have helped shape national thought, innovation, leadership and values on the banknotes. 

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

9. Victoria Cleland was the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier between 2014 to 2018, and was reappointed in June 2025. It was announced earlier this year that Rhys Phillips will be taking over the role from 19 October 2026 and Victoria Cleland will remain at the Bank as Senior Advisor to the Governors and Chair of the Retail Payments Infrastructure Board.