The President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, presided over a prize-giving ceremony of a coin design competition organised by the Central Bank of Malta in collaboration with the Ministry for Education and Employment and the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation. The competition, which was launched on 13 November 2017, was open to all students in secondary and higher secondary schools as well as MCAST.
Participants could submit designs for three commemorative €2 coins that will be issued by the bank. The themes were cultural heritage, nature and environment and games.
A total of 129 submissions were presented, out of which three designs, one for each theme, were chosen by an expert panel. The winning design for the cultural heritage theme was submitted by Nicole Dimech who attends St Nicholas College, Middle School, Rabat. Joshua Stuart, who attends Maria Regina College, Middle School, Naxxar, submitted the winning design for the nature and environment theme; while Ymen Riahi who attends St Nicholas College, Middle School, Rabat submitted the winning design for the games theme. The three students were each given a tablet, while the schools that they attend were each awarded a €1,000 cash prize.
In her remarks, the President said: "I would like to thank the Central Bank of Malta and the Governor for collaborating with the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation, through the consecutive coin design competition. I would also like to thank Matilde Cordina and Anna Maria Gilson for coordinating this initiative.
"This is not just about solidarity and reaching out to care for one another, but it is also about promoting creativity and helping children to develop their artistic skills. I would also like to thank the schools and the teachers for being a part of the success of this campaign, together with the students."
This prize-giving ceremony concludes the design competitions associated with the social responsibility coin programme entitled From children in solidarity, which was launched in 2015. This programme consists of five coins, two of which, Solidarity through love and Peace were issued in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In November the bank will issue the Cultural Heritage coin, while Nature and Environment and Games will be issued in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Profits amounting to €69,865, made from the sale of the Peace coin cards, will be channelled in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation.
On the same occasion the Governor of the Central Bank of Malta presented to the President of Malta a number of gold and silver coins issued by the bank in 2017 and 2018.
Coins issued under the From children in solidarity programme may be purchased from the Malta Coin Centre's e-shop on www.maltacoincentre.com.
For further information the public is kindly requested to contact the Malta Coin Centre via email on [email protected] or by calling on (+356) 2550 6006/7/8.