A graphic designer from Hackney and a journalist from Middlesex are among the winners chosen to design special 50p coins to mark the London 2012 Olympics.

Their designs are part of a series of sporting images reflecting Olympic and Paralympic sports, including swimming, boxing and gymnastics, that feature on the flip side of new-look coins, released as common currency today.

Pravin Dewdhory, 35, a graphic designer from Hackney, east London, created the coin design for shooting.

He drew inspiration from the graphics that are being used in the London 2012 branding and logo, which he sees every day living so close to the Olympic Village.

He said: "Receiving the letter of congratulations from The Royal Mint was a fantastic surprise. Also knowing that I will be joining other winners from around the United Kingdom to become part of British coinage history for the London 2012 Olympics is a great achievement for everyone involved."

Online journalist Neil Wolfson, 26, from Middlesex, north-west London, designed his coin in the hope of capturing football in a simple image.

The football fan said: "The offside rule is always a talking point so I wanted to create something original to reflect that. It's a case of 'lateral thinking,' so to speak.

"It will be interesting to see how the design looks in relief and I hope it provokes discussion."

It is the first time in the 1,100 year history of the Royal Mint that coins designed by members of the public have been released.

Winners were picked from nearly 30,000 entries in a Royal Mint public competition and also include a Manchester policeman, a delivery driver from Reading, a radiologist from Stoke, a bank clerk from Preston, a part time chef from Cornwall, a schoolgirl from Bristol to a 75-year-old retired social worker from Derby.

They share the honour of seeing their designs come into circulation in 2010 and 2011 and also knowing that, like every UK coin in general use, it has got approval from the Queen and the Treasury.

A panel of independent experts and representatives from Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee picked the winning designs.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "Coins are a part of the fabric of our daily life, so to have a range of coins designed specifically to celebrate London 2012 is a huge honour, made all the more special by the fact that members of the public have designed them.

"The 50ps will be part of a long-lasting, wide-reaching cultural legacy that will benefit the entire nation and I'm looking forward to finding the first one in my change and collecting the entire range."

The release of the 29 Olympic 50ps is the largest simultaneous range of designs the Royal Mint has ever featured on a circulating coin. Since the 50 pence piece was introduced 41 years ago, when decimalisation was established, only 16 designs have ever featured on the heptagonal coin.

Dave Knight, the Royal Mint's director of commemorative coins, said: "Every coin captures the spirit, excitement and passion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In isolation each is a work of art, together they are an inspirational portrait of a sporting phenomenon.”