Norway's New Artsy Currency Will Leave You Pixelated

— -- When you're a European country that's not in the European Union, you might as well create an amazing currency wrought from a competition of Nordic designers.

Norway's central bank Norges Bank held a competition this past spring for its new banknote series that will issued in 2017. The theme was "The Sea," which is appropriate for a country with Viking roots.

Eight participants were chosen for the final round, judged by a member of the bank and five external professionals.

Two proposals stood out: Ripple Effects by Enzo Finger, and Norwegian Living Space by The Metric System and Terje Tønnessen, the bank said in a statement. But Enzo Finger's proposal emerged as the winner and the bank said yesterday it "is of the opinion that this proposal communicates the theme in a surprising way with considerable artistic flair."

A combination of two proposals will be used. One side of the note will be based on the proposal from The Metric System, Norwegian Living Space; and the reverse sides will be the pixel motifs submitted by Snøhetta Design, Beauty of Boundaries, which "give the notes both a traditional and a modern expression," the bank said. The design isn't finalized but it will include security features.

The rejected proposals, which include beautiful artistic creations of the ocean, fish and landscapes, are seen in a bank brochure and are on exhibit in Oslo until Oct. 26.