Canada's gorgeous and deeply-poignant new $10 bill has just been named banknote of the year for 2018 by a prestigious society of international currency experts, making the first of such wins for a Canadian bill in almost 15 years.

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announced earlier this month that its voting membership had overwhelmingly decided upon Canada's vertical $10 bill as the best banknote released in 2018 out of more than 150 worldwide.

"Almost from the start, Canada’s new vertically oriented $10 bill dominated the voting, followed by Switzerland (200 Franc human hands), Norway (500 Kroner sailing ship), Russia (100 Ruble soccer) and the Solomon Islands (40 Dollar man blowing conch shell) banknotes," reads a release from the organization.

"This is the fifth consecutive polymer containing note to win the coveted IBNS Bank Note of the Year Award."

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announces that its voting membership has selected the Bank of Canada 10 Dollar Note to receive its prestigious “Bank Note of the Year Award” for 2018 -https://t.co/SKuH9Pxfu8 - @bankofcanada#theIBNS #bnoy2018 pic.twitter.com/dwZDwBuPVq

— The IBNS (@theibns) April 14, 2019

The IBNS hailed Canada's new tenner for both its design, which features human rights icon Viola Desmond, and its high-end technical features.

"Incorporating the latest in technological standards, the bold security features are easy to check and difficult to counterfeit," writes the group. "Canada plans 'to issue a new denomination every few years' and the Bank of Canada has confirmed the next four notes in this series will also use the vertical format."

Canada's choice to feature the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as well as Desmond, a prominent Nova Scotia businesswoman who refused to leave the "whites-only" section of  a movie theatre in 1946, is also being praised for "encouraging reflection and dialogue about human rights."

Desmond is the first non-royal woman ever to appear on the country's currency. She remains one of the most prominent figures in the history of social justice and the fight for racial equality in Canada.

Canada's green $20 note won the award in 2004.