• Voters will be able to choose between eight drawings until midnight on 4 March
• The drawing competition was exceptionally popular and some 8000 drawings were sent in by children
• The most active youth leader was a teacher from Koeru school who helped to submit 600 entries to the competition
• The two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the song celebration will be the first Estonian national coin to have been designed in a drawing competition for children
• The only country in the euro area to have previously used a children's drawing competition to design a two-euro coin is Malta
• The two-euro commemorative coin with a special design will be valid as legal tender throughout the euro area

The public vote started today to choose the design for the two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the song celebration from among drawings submitted by children. The coin is particularly special because only children and young people aged up to 19 could submit designs for it. A total of around 8000 drawings were entered in the competition.

The drawing competition in autumn last year was exceptionally popular and some 8000 entries were sent in by children. Art teacher Mari-Liis Männik from Koeru school sent in the most entries to the competition, helping submit more than 600 drawings to Eesti Pank. 

All eight of the drawings were chosen by a special jury to be entered in the public vote. The drawing that receives the most votes in the public vote will be used for the design of the two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the song celebration in 2019.

All the drawings entered in the public vote will win a prize. They are divided into four age groups and the artist of the most popular drawing in each age group will receive an iPad Pro with a stylus as a prize. The second most popular will win a portable speaker.

Eesti Pank is inviting everyone in Estonia to vote for their favourite design at http://lastejaam.err.ee/laulupidu150. Voting runs until midnight on 4 March.

Each person can vote only once. It is important to note that votes will only be counted after the voter has confirmed their choice. This is done by clicking a link that is sent to the email address entered in the registration form.

A draw will be held among all voters who give their email address to win one of 25 coin cards for the two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the song celebration. The prizes will be given out in the two months after the coin has been issued.

Background

• Last autumn, Eesti Pank, Lastejaam children's television programme and the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation invited all children and young people up to age 19 to send drawings to the central bank from among which a design would be chosen for the two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Song Celebration. Entries were received in four age groups: preschool to 3rd year; 4th to 6th year; 7th to 9th year; and from 10th year up to age 19.
• In December last year an initial 12 member jury selected 96 of the drawings submitted to the central bank to be assessed by the final jury. The initial jury consisted of staff of the central bank and each drawing was considered by at least three people.
• The coin jury convened at the end of January then chose eight drawings, with two from each age group, to be entered in the three-week long public vote. The coin jury consisted of Eesti Pank supervisory board member Liina Tõnisson, artists Maria Valdma, Mall Nukke and Vano Allsalu, chief conductor of the 2019 song celebration Peeter Perens, song celebration conductor Maret Alango, composer Pärt Uusberg and senior editor for children's programmes at Estonian television Margus Saar. Eesti Pank staff on the jury were Deputy Governor Madis Müller, head of the cash and infrastructure department Rait Roosve, and designer Triinu Talve.

The commemorative coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the song celebration is a coin with a special design that is valid for payments throughout the euro area. This is the first drawing competition for children and young people that Eesti Pank has held to find the design for a coin. The commemorative coin with a special design will be issued into circulation in the first half of 2019.

​Additional information:
Hanna Jürgenson
Public Relations Division
Tel: 668 0959, 5692 0930
Email: [email protected]
Press enquiries: [email protected]