Canada's answer to Rosa Parks and the world's first female aircraft designer are among five Canadians whose image could appear on the country’s next series of bank notes.

The Bank of Canada has revealed its short list of iconic Canadian women who could be featured on the next bank notes, which are expected to be in circulation by 2018.

The list includes Viola Desmond, who is best known for protesting racial discrimination by sitting in a whites-only section of a Nova Scotia movie theater in 1946. Also in the running is the Elsie MacGill, the first Canadian woman to receive a degree in electrical engineering and whose engineering work on the Hawker Hurricane fighter planes was instrumental during World War II. Poet Pauline Johnson, Olympic track and field medalist Bobbie Rosenfeld and Quebec suffragette Idola Saint-Jean round out the list of contenders.

The women were selected by an independent advisory council from 461 eligible nominees submitted by Canadians since the process was launched on International Women’s Day. More than 26,300 submissions were received during a five-week period.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz will announce the winner on Dec. 8.