2 euro - 150th anniversary of the first song festival

Series: Estonia - Commemorative 2 euro coins

Image of 2 euro coin - 150th anniversary of the first song festival | Estonia 2019
Eesti Pank gave out prizes on Saturday to the eight children who had reached the final of the drawing competition to find a design for the two-euro coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Song Celebration. The public vote was held over three weeks and was won by 15-year-old Grete-Lisette Gulbis from Tõrva in south Estonia.

The design for the two-euro coin by Grete-Lisette Gulbis, a student at Tõrva Gümnaasium in the south of Estonia, received 2887 votes, representing 35% of the total of 8322. “At first I didn’t want to submit my design to the competition as I wasn’t entirely happy with it, but my parents encouraged me and so finally I sent it in”, she said. Grete-Lisette was inspired for her design by the Song Celebration procession, where she had seen the cheers of joy and pride, the multitude of national costumes and the rows of singers flowing like waves on the sea.

“It is really fantastic that so many children took part in the drawing competition. I want to thank all the teachers and parents for their help and for the encouragement they gave the children. This is a very valuable gift to have given Estonia in this centenary year”, said Ardo Hansson, Governor of Eesti Pank. He said that only one drawing could be fitted onto the coin for the Song Celebration, but that all the eight children who had got through to the final were winners, as only one design in a thousand had got that far.

The prize of an iPad with drawing stylus went to Victoria Irval (pre-school to 3rd year), Marit Peedumäe (4th-6th year), Grete-Lisette Gulbis (7th-9th year) and Miia Laur (10th year and above). Portable speakers were awarded to Lennart Teinbas (pre-school to 3rd year), Kaarel Lusti (4th-6th year), Elizaneth Saks (7th-9th year) and Birgit Raidna (10th year and above). Art teacher Mari-Liis Männik from Koeru Gümnaasium, whose children submitted the most drawings, received a 1000-euro voucher from Eesti Pank to buy art materials with.

Eesti Pank will now work with the mint that will create the coin to convert the winning design by Grete-Lisette Gulbis into a form that meets the technical requirements for minting. After that the coin design will be formally approved by the Supervisory Board of Eesti Pank and will go for approval at the national and European Union levels. The two-euro coin with the special design dedicated to the Song Celebration will enter into circulation in the first half of 2019.
Source: Eesti Pank