The Flow coin, a unique collectible piece based on characters from the Oscar-nominated Flow animation, has been named the winner of the annual “Latvia’s Coin of the Year 2025” competition. The coin was released in December 2025.
Design and creators of the Flow coin
The winning coin is distinguished by its graphic design, created by the film’s director, Gints Zilbalodis, and animation artist Pēteris Tenisons.
One side of the coin depicts the film’s protagonist, a dark gray cat. The other side features a group of five animal friends. The edge of the coin portrays the odyssey where they travel together in a boat to escape a flood.
Public voting results
The best coin was selected through an open public vote with nearly 29,000 participants. “Flow” received almost 12,000 votes. A total of 15 collectible coins were evaluated in the competition.
Other Latvian collectible coins of 2025
NEWSROOM notes that in 2025, the Bank of Latvia issued five collectible coins dedicated to significant themes in Latvian history and culture. In addition to “Flow,” the series included:
- “Our Land” (graphic design: Māris Upenieks);
- “Sun and Wind” (design: Krišs Salmanis, plaster model: Ligita Franckeviča);
- “Džemma” (design: Juris Petraškevičs);
- “Latvian Book – 500” (design: Anete Melece-Olivadoti, plaster model: Jānis Strupulis).
International recognition and competition history
The tradition of choosing the best coin through a public vote has existed in Latvia since 2004. Latvian coin designs regularly receive international acclaim. For example, the 2024 Latvia’s Coin of the Year — the “Cabbage” coin (design: Mārtiņš Rozenfelds) — was named the best silver coin at the international Coin of the Year competition. In 2020, Latvia’s “Honey Coin” was the overall world winner.
Significance of the Flow coin
Since 1993, with the involvement of a special Design Committee, the Bank of Latvia has issued 98 collectible coins in lats and 63 coins in euros.
