This is an annual international award  for excellence in scientific botanical illustration.
The annual exhibition in Sydney includes scientific botanical illustrations from around the world.

The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration
​

​The Margaret Flockton Award commemorates the contribution that
Margaret Flockton ​made to Australian scientific botanical illustration.​

This page covers:
  • ​the Call for Entries - NEXT ONE IS FOR 2024
  • Information about the exhibition in 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016
  • an Archive of information about previous exhibition.
  • ​an Archive of previous winners and highly commended
Past Exhibitions
Information includes the names of those winning prizes and highly commended - and the plants they portrayed - plus links to where you can see the images (where available).
Picture
Margaret Flockton Awards 2016-2018 - tap to see larger versions on Flickr

Call for Entries - Margaret Flockton Award
​

This annual, unique, international award is for
excellence in contemporary scientific botanical illustration,
(NOT botanical art).

​It commemorates the contribution Margaret Flockton made to Australian scientific botanical illustration. ​

The Margaret Flockton Award is unique in art awards in that it recognises and promotes scientific botanical illustration as opposed to botanical art.

With the above in mind, the evaluation of entries is based on the following criteria:
- Accurate interpretation and portrayal of plant characters and diagnostic features noted in the botanical description
- Technical merit
- Reproducibility
- Composition
- Artistic merit
The competition invites entries from contemporary botanical illustrators - working in a scientific manner - from around the world.

They are asked to submit
  • scientifically accurate drawings clearly highlighting all of the distinctive features of the species
  • to accompany the published taxonomic description of the plant.
The format for the images are original taxonomic illustrations. These are typically highly detailed black and white drawings primarily undertaken in pen and ink, pencil or rendered using digital illustration software.
Prizes:
  • First prize: AU$5000;
  • second prize: AU$2000;
  • 3 x Highly Commended.
Points of interest
  • all submissions must be digital
  • original artworks will no longer be exhibited or sold at the Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition.
  • ​All sales will be via reference to the artist's website or email address - to be supplied with submission.
Below is my summary of the terms and conditions and method of entry in 2020.  I've organised the information differently from the way it is laid out on the website

You MUST check all details with the website if you wish to enter.

This also includes the contact details (at the bottom) for the two botanical illustrators who administer the award.
WHO can enter:
  • All previous winners of the Margaret Flockton Award are eligible to enter, excluding the first prize winning artists FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.
  • ​Entries typically come from professional botanical artists from around the world. Very often these are botanical illustrators who
    • work with/for botanists based at botanical gardens and
    • produce scientific botanical illustrations on a regular basis.
  • Those who are not need to be aware they must reach the same standards as those who are!
Nature of the entry - SUBJECT
  • Works must have been produced after February 2018.
  • ​Highly detailed, scientifically accurate and original taxonomic illustrations clearly highlighting all of the distinctive features of the species. 
  • Inclusion of scale bars highly recommended.
  • Fully digitally rendered, printable illustrations (excepting animated or 3D works) are now eligible for entry
  • Full plate illustrations ONLY. (inclusive of habit study and diagnostic features of the species).​
  • SEE A Guide to Botanical Illustration on the MFA page on the ​RBGS website
The science of botany requires plant taxonomists to describe plant species in both words and drawings, with botanists preparing a detailed description of the plant and the artist producing an accompanying illustration.

Taxonomic illustrations are normally published in scientific journals as highly detailed black and white drawings (primarily pen and ink, more rarely pencil) or digitally rendered illustrations (excluding photos and photo-montage), representing aspects of plant morphology essential for identification.
Guide to Judging
Nature of entry - TECHNICAL
  • Illustrations MUST be "ready for publication" and capable of being reduced to 67% of the original size without loss of detail.
  • Monochrome illustrations ONLY - primarily undertaken in pen and ink, graphite or digitally rendered.
  • HIGH resolution Digital image for judging/exhibiting Submit one digital file for each illustration submitted. 
    • ​The file size should not exceed 200MB. 
    • No photos of artworks will be accepted - scanned original works or digitally created images only.
    • (Note: the images available on Flickr are the LOW resolution versions of entries accepted for exhibition) 
  • Resolution and file format:
    • Ink line and stipple - Bitmap tiff @ 1200dpi
    • Pencil or Continuous tone - Greyscale (NOT colour) tiff or psd (NOT jpg) @ 600dpi (minimum).
  • Entries are to be digitally submitted at 100% of original artwork size . ​Image area MUST be:
    • no larger than A3 (295 mm x 420 mm) and
    • no smaller than (180 x 250 mm) - EXCLUDING legend. 
    • Illustrations outside of these parameters will not be accepted.
  • A typed taxonomic description (either published or unpublished) must be provided with each illustration. It must be submitted electronically with the completed form and image
Entry FORMS
  • Four forms (1-4) to be completed and uploaded with image(s) to your Dropbox account
  • Read all conditions carefully before submitting.
  • Entry Form (one for each illustration) - incomplete entry forms render entries ineligible. 
  • Label template (one for each illustration) - fully completed label template with the scientific name of the plant, medium, artist's name and the legend of the drawing - to be printed and displayed with each work.
  • Typed taxonomic description (either published or unpublished) - MUST be submitted electronically  with each illustration. (see website for details of what these look like)
  • Biography (less than two A4 pages) and contact details (optional) - See example biography. Referrals for sales will only be made if professional contact details have been provided on this form and consent provided for these to be recorded/provided.
Submission / Deadline
  • See the page providing information about entry to the 2020 Margaret Flockton Award
  • READ Terms and Conditions
  • ​​Each artist may submit up to two illustrations.​
  • ALL submissions MUST be digital.
  • Complete all the forms
  • Submit all digital files of illustrations and forms/paperwork via Dropbox www.dropbox.com.
  • Once you have created your account/ uploaded images and forms you need to invite the administrators to View AND Edit files in the shared folder where you have uploaded your image files. (email address on website)
  • ​See my blog post The Margaret Flockton Award 2020 - call for entries
Timeline / Deadlines
  • Works must have been produced after February 2018
  • Entries to be submitted between 17 February - 2 March 2020 (EST)
Sales
  • No artworks will be offered for sale (direct email or website details will be made available, with the consent of the artist).​

ENQUIRIES
Please address all queries to Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop, who administer this competition AFTER you have read EVERYTHING on the RBGS website relating to this award. Contact details are on the page.
ASSESSMENT
Entries will be assessed in accordance with the following criteria:
  • accurate interpretation and portrayal of plant characters and diagnostic features;
  • technical merit;
  • reproducibility; ​
A major criterion of scientific illustration is that images should be clearly and simply reproduced through the printing process.
  • composition;
  • artistic merit.

SEE A Guide to Botanical Illustration on the MFA page on the ​RBGS website​
When considering these broad criteria, the following are also taken into account:

Precision and accuracy 
Correct botanical detail, all plant characters and diagnostic features must be accurately displayed.

Reproducibility
The image must be capable of being successfully scanned and reproduced (often reduced) without loss of detail. Very dense (black) or light detail may not reproduce well. A major criterion of scientific illustration is that images should be clearly and simply reproduced through the printing process. Illustrations must be capable of being reduced to 67% of the original size without loss of detail.

Good composition 
The plate should be laid out to give a balanced presentation allowing the overall effect to be aesthetically pleasing. This balance is best demonstrated by the careful placement of the primary subject. In other cases, balance may be the result of careful placement of the dissected details of the plant.

Use of scale bars, whilst not mandatory, is preferred
Great care should be taken in giving the correct scale of each feature. If possible, avoid using multipliers eg. 'x3' or 'x0.5' to indicate the size of features, as this becomes meaningless if the drawing is used in a publication and printed at a different size; the use of a scale bar is accurate regardless of changes to the size of the image.

Signature 
The signature should be neat, small and consistent, with the year noted.

Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) Exhibition 2023

Prizes
  • First prize - $5,000 - Wedelia species (member of the daisy family) by Gustavo Surlo
  • Second prize - $2,000 - Centrosema sericiflorum (butterfly pea) by Natanael Nascimento dos Santos ​
Highly Commended:
SEE THE ARTWORK AND THE EXHIBITION READ MY BLOG POSTS:
2023 EXHIBITION

The exhibition at three of the gardens comprising the Royal Botanic Garden in Australia results from juried entries by contemporary scientific botanical illustrators from all over the world.

MOUNT ANNAN 
  • Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition 2023
  • Venue:  National Herbarium of New South Wales Foyer, Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
  • Dates: 21 August – 6 October 2023
  • Days/Hours: weekdays 10am - 4pm
  • Cost: Entry to the exhibition is free
  • ​Works for sale - selected works will be available for sale direct from the artist
2020 EXHIBITION

The exhibition at three of the gardens comprising the Royal Botanic Garden in Australia results from juried entries by contemporary scientific botanical illustrators from all over the world.

​SYDNEY
  • Venue: Joseph Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney - enter via Woolloomooloo Gate on Mrs Macquaries Road. This is the original National Herbarium on the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney site where Margaret Flockton worked closely with J.H. Maiden to illustrate thousands of species of plants.
  • Dates:  Saturday 9 May - Sunday 24 May 2020, daily 10am - 4pm
  • Cost: Entry to the exhibition is free
  • ​Works for sale - selected works will be available for sale direct from the artist
MOUNT ANNAN  MOUNT TOMAH 

​Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) Exhibition 2021
​

To be completed

Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) Exhibition 2019
​

ALL entries are digital. The images selected for exhibition were printed on high quality paper and framed in standard exhibition frames - arranged by the organisers. Selected works were for sale direct from the artist
Picture
Images of the first and second prizewinners 2019
Prizes ​
Highly Commended: SEE THE ARTWORK AND THE EXHIBITION READ MY BLOG POSTS:

Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) Exhibition 2018
​

ALL entries are digital. The images selected for exhibition were printed on high quality paper and framed in standard exhibition frames - arranged by the organisers. Selected works were for sale direct from the artist

Prizewinners 2018

Picture
WINNER OF THE MARGARET FLOCKTON AWARD 2018 Lapidia apicifolia by Natanael Nascimento (Digital illustration)
Prizes
  • First prize - $5,000 - Lapidia apicifolia            by Natanael Nascimento from Brazil. Digital illustration
  • Second prize - $1,000 - Gunnera mexicana  by Edmundo Saavedra Vidal from Mexico. Pen and ink
​
Highly Commended:
  • Highly Commended - Drosera albonotata       by Alastair Robinson from Victoria, Australia. Pen and ink.
  • Highly Commended - Theobroma cacao                by Juan Luis Castillo from Spain. Digital illustration.
  • Highly Commended -  Vernonia echioides           by Alice Tangerini, Washington, D.C., USA. Pen and ink.

READ MY BLOG POST
Nataneal Nascimento wins Margaret Flockton Award 2018

Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) Exhibition 2017
​

AS entries in 2017 were digital. Images selected for exhibition were printed on high quality paper and framed in standard exhibition frames - arranged by the organisers.

Prizewinners 2017

  • First prize - $5,000 - Calamus sp. nov. “pintaudi” by Lucy Smith, Kew, United Kingdom
  • Second prize - $1,000 - Monanthotaxis pynaertii by Esmee Winkel, Leiden, The Netherlands
​
Highly Commended:
  • Highly Commended - Drosera magnifica sp. nov. by Rogerio Lupo, Brazil
  • Highly Commended - Dracaena draco subsp. draco by Juan Luis Castillo, Spain
  • Highly Commended -  Echium wildpretii subsp. wildpretii by Juan Luis Castillo, Spain
The exhibition is curated by curated by current illustrators working at the RBG Sydney.

Sponsors of The Margaret Flockton Award: The Maple Brown Family and the Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens 
Picture
WINNER OF THE MARGARET FLOCKTON AWARD 2017 Calamus sp. nov. “pintaudi” by Lucy Smith
See my blog posts

Margaret Flockton Award (MFA) 2016
​

‘This year there was a large section of really beautiful work, but at the top end the final images were so tight that the judges had to reconvene three times, finally agreeing to award a shared second-prize, reflecting the hair-splitting argument for each piece. They believe that both artists deserved their share of the winnings. Considerations of minute scientific accuracy balanced against those of technical and artistic merit. 
Judges' Commentary on 2015 prizewinners

Prizewinners 2016

​
Highly Commended:
The Margaret Flockton Award (2016) Exhibition
Venue: Joseph Maiden Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney 
Dates: Saturday 9 April - Sunday 1 May 2016, daily 10 am-4 pm
Picture
WINNER OF THE MARGARET FLOCKTON AWARD 2016 Pellaea falcata P. nana by Pauline Dewar

Archive : Margaret Flockton Award Archive 
​

This is an archive record of the names of previous prizewinners and the plants they illustrated.
​Many thanks to the diligence of Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski in making a record on the blog of the Denver Botanic Garden School of Botanical Illustration as otherwise some of these names and awards would be lost to the internet!

Completing the listing of past prizewinners and those highly commended is not easy hence this is a work in progress.
There's a dearth of proper records available online - hence this attempt to create one.  If you can fill any of the gaps please let me know.

Previous prizewinners 2015

​In 2015 entries included submissions from artists living in: Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland

Prizewinners:
  • First prize ($5000)  - Syngonium podophyllum By Edmundo Saavedra Vidal from Mexico (who also won the competition in 2011 and came second in 2014)
  • Joint Second prize ($1000) - Adiantum hispidulum By Pauline Dewar
  • Joint Second prize ($1000) - Doryopteris concolor  By Klei Sousa
​
Highly Commended:
  • Genus Thompsonella By Edmundo Saavedra Vidal
  • Vriesea carinata By Klei Sousa

Previous prizewinners 2014

In 2014, 33 entries were submitted from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Canada. 

Prizewinners Highly Commended: 
REFERENCE:
Picture
WINNER OF THE MARGARET FLOCKTON AWARD 2014 Lucy T Smith NFS Kew, United Kingdom Nepenthes petiolata Pitcher plant pen and ink on bristol board

Previous prizewinners 2013

Prizewinners
  • First winner Vellozia perdicipes  sp.nov. by Rogerio Lupo, Brazil  
  • 2nd prize Lecomtella madagascariensis by Lucy T Smith from Kew, UK
Highly Commended:  
​See Winners for Margaret Flockton Award 2013

Previous prizewinners 2012

Prizewinners
  • First winner Mimosa acustistipula by Klei Rodrigo Sousa from Brazil
  • 2nd prize  Lepisanthes senegalensis by Anita Walsmit Sachs from the Netherlands 
Highly Commended:   See Congratulations to Klei Sousa
Picture
WINNER OF THE MARGARET FLOCKTON AWARD 2012 Mimosa acustistipula by Klei Rodrigo Sousa

Previous prizewinners 2011

31 entries from 

​Prizewinners Highly Commended:   ​See Margaret Flockton Award 2011

Previous prizewinners 2010

Prizewinners Highly Commended:  ​

Previous prizewinners 2009

Prizewinners Highly Commended:  ​

Previous prizewinners 2008

Prizewinners Highly Commended:  ​

Previous prizewinners 2007

Prizewinners
  • First winner Aristolochia gigantea, Giant Pipevine, Pen and ink, Lesley Randall (USA) - subsequently exhibited at the Hunt
  • 2nd prize  
Highly Commended:

Previous prizewinners 2006

Prizewinners
  • First winner 
  • 2nd prize 
Highly Commended

Previous prizewinners 2005

Prizewinners
  • First winner 
  • 2nd prize 
Highly Commended

Previous prizewinners 2004

Prizewinners Highly Commended
  • ​