The Royal Mint Design Competition for London 2012 - for the Nation

Make Olympic History in The Royal Mint's Biggest Ever Competition

The British public is being invited to create a lasting memento for London 2012, thanks to a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from the Royal Mint.

The Royal Mint is challenging the nation to come up with new designs for the 50 pence coin in celebration of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the country's most significant sporting events for this generation. This rare opportunity to see your own artwork immortalised on the UK's coinage is open to all UK residents over the age of 13 years, so put pen to paper and get inspired.

The Royal Mint Design Competition for London 2012 - for the Nation was officially launched by the flipping of a giant 50 pence coin in Trafalgar Square, attended by Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards.

'This is an amazing opportunity for the whole nation to be a part of London 2012 in a lasting, memorable way,' comments Jonathan Edwards.

In total, 29 winning designs will be selected - each depicting a different Olympic or Paralympic sport - and will feature on the back of millions of 50 pence pieces from March 2010.

'We are proud to be involved in this monumental event and to be able to involve the public in the creation of these celebratory coins, which will be found in the nation's change for many years to come,' says Andrew Stafford, Chief Executive of the Royal Mint.

As well as having their artistic abilities recognised on national currency, winners will receive £1,000 cash and a gold coin featuring their own design.They will also be invited to see their design being transformed into actual UK coins at the Royal Mint.

This competition is open to all UK residents aged 13 or over, and will deliver 27 of the 29 final designs.A children's competition for 6-12 year olds to create a coin for athletics is being launched by Blue Peter  today, and a coin for cycling will be chosen from secondary school entries (13-19 year olds).

For a list of permitted sporting themes and the full entry criteria and competition terms and conditions, visit www.royalmintcompetition.co.uk. Design templates are downloadable upon registration, and all entries must be submitted on the provided template and should reach the Royal Mint no later than 24 April 2009. For more details of the competition with Blue Peter visit www.designacoin.co.uk. Further details of the secondary schools competition can be found at www.coincompetition.co.uk