Obverse: Along the rim on top, “PAUL-EMILE VICTOR”. On top, a stylized map and compass. In the center, Paul-Emile Victor on the left, and Antarctica icebergs on the right, with "1907" and "1995".

Reverse: In the center, the logo of the International Polar Year, with "LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE" (Liberty Equality Fraternity) on top, and " L'ANNEE POLAIRE INTERNATIONALE (The International Polar Year) at the bottom. At the bottom, “RF” for “French Republic”, the face value, and the year of issue.

Paul-Emile Victor explored Greenland in 1934. In 1947, he was the initiator of the “Expéditions Polaires Françaises” (the French Polar Expeditions) and guided more than 30 missions from Greenland to Antarctica, where a permanent French scientific base camp is built. In great part because of him, France still has a presence today in Antarctica. Mount Victor, in the Belgica Mountains of Antarctica, is named after him.

The International Polar Year 2007-2008 will be an intense, internationally coordinated campaign of research that wishes to initiate a new era in polar science. It will include research in both polar regions and recognize the strong links these regions have with the rest of the globe. It aims to educate and involve the public, and to help train the next generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders.