BrightCoin - Cabo de São Vicente, a project that brings together numismatics, polymer engineering and electronics, has won the prestigious 2026 Platinum Prize. At HFA, we are proud to have played a part in bringing it to life through the assembly and installation of its plastic housing.

We are delighted to share that BrightCoin - Cabo de São Vicente has received the Platinum Prize at the 2026 European Product Design Awards (EPDA) in the Hobby & Sports / Hobbies Products: Collecting category.

Part of the Lighthouses of Portugal series issued by the Portuguese Mint (INCM), the project brings technology into the world of traditional coin collecting. Its result is a distinctive collector’s piece dedicated to the Cabo de São Vicente Lighthouse that emits light.

HFA’s role: From technical solution to finished product

At HFA, we were pleased to contribute to this project through the assembly and installation of the plastic housing.

For us, BrightCoin is an opportunity to highlight the careful work that takes place behind the scenes, long before a product reaches its user.

Electronics that bring the coin to life

BrightCoin began with a challenge set by INCM’s innovation team: to create a coin that emits light through a polymer structure around its edge, activated by a simple interaction when it is removed from its case.

Meeting that challenge called for a joint research and development effort:

• Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS led the technological and electronic development, creating a compact system for energy storage, rectification and controlled light emission within the physical constraints of a traditional coin.

• PIEP (Polymer Engineering Innovation Centre) and INCM Lab brought their expertise in polymer engineering and numismatics to the project, including the translucent ring that evokes the guiding light of a lighthouse.

The coin’s technical requirements also meant rethinking everything around it. Its case and housing had to provide the electrical conditions needed to charge the coin and activate its light, while preserving the usability, safety and visual identity expected of a commemorative collector’s piece.

A successful collaboration

BrightCoin is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between INCM, Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS and PIEP. We warmly congratulate all the teams involved on this international distinction.

At HFA, it is particularly rewarding to see our assembly expertise contribute to a project where electronics bring a new idea to life and turn a traditional object into a memorable experience.

The BrightCoin - Cabo de São Vicente coin is available in a silver proof edition from INCM’s physical stores and online shop.

Learn more about the project through INCM and Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS.