Bulgarian artist Todor Todorov secured the Excellent Work (second place) award in the 2013 contest with designs honoring William Shakespeare’s 450th birth anniversary. Winning sketches are paired with plaster models of Todorov’s design.

To encourage creativity and enhance the artistry of coin designs, the Japan Mint is sponsoring its 17th annual international coin design competition.

The competition is open to students, professionals and nonprofessionals alike. General category entries are due Sept. 1 and student entries are due Sept. 16. The student category is open to people registered at any school and who were born after Aug. 31, 1984.

Cash prizes will be awarded to all winners, and the top two winners in the general category will receive a struck medal based on the artwork.

The overall winner in the general category will receive 500,000 yen (about $4,865 in U.S. funds) with the top student winner named the Future Designer and awarded 50,000 yen (about $487 U.S.).

The ICDC was founded in 1998 by Japan Mint to honor coin designs as art and to further pursue artistic development.

After all entries are received by the due dates, a jury of artists, sculptors and engravers will sort out approximately five preliminary winners. General category entrants who are finalists are required to submit a pair of plaster models of their designs, either of their own creation or from an artist commissioned to translate their drawing into models.

Entrants are granted artistic freedom to chose the design theme of their choice, and may enter up to three designs in the contest, regardless of category.

Works for entry must be unpublished and original, and they will not be returned. The Japan Mint will hold the copyright to submitted works, and may use them for medals or in promoting the Japan Mint and the contest.

Prizes may not be granted if no works are judged to deserve the awards.

Successful entrants will be informed of the results of the judging by early October 2014, and plaster models will be due Dec. 1, 2014.

Winning artists will be informed by the end of 2014, and the top two general category awards will be exhibited at the Tokyo International Coin Convention in May 2015.

For more information about this year’s contest, email the contest organizers or visit a special page at the Japan Mint’s website.

To view the 2013 contest winners, visit here.