Margaret Flockton Award 2024: Call for Entries

This is about the newly published Call for Entries for the Margaret Flockton Award in 2024.

Named after Margaret Flockton who was the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s first botanical illustrator, the purpose of the award is to highlight the very best of international scientific botanical illustration.

There are with five prizes:

• First Prize: $5000AUD),
• Second Prize: $2000AUD
• and 3 Highly Commended Awards.

Below you can see the image produced by last year's winner, Gustavo Surlo.

READ MORE about the award and see who has won it in the past on my dedicated to The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration on this website.

Wedelia sp.nov. by Gustavo Surlo, Winner Margaret Flockton Award 2023

Summary: What you need to know

Last year 37 artists from 18 countries were selected for the 2023 exhibition. Check out the quality of the illustrations selected for the exhibition can be seen in the Margaret Flockton Award 2023 album on Flickr

For full details about the Award and Exhibition, plus updates to entry requirements, please visit Margaret Flockton Award 2024 at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney website.

Below is an abbreviated summary of what you need to know and do.

​What you need to submit

All illustrations and paperwork must be submitted digitally via Dropbox.

• high-resolution digital files (see below) of...
• (one or two) :scientific botanical illustrations - produced after May 2022 - that
  • clearly highlight all of the distinctive features of the species
  • accompany the published taxonomic description of a plant
• all such illustrations MUST
  • be in black and white (ink, pencil or digitally rendered) 
  • be intended for 2D-printed output.
• Only full plate illustrations will be accepted (inclusive of habit study and diagnostic features of the species). 
• size of the illustration submitted: 100% of the original artwork size with an image area no larger than A3 (295mm x 420mm) and no smaller than (180mm x 250 mm), excluding legend.
• The illustration should include a small legend (with the plant name and all lettered components), neatly written or typed at the bottom of the artwork, outside of the image area

You also need to complete the Entry Form - which stipulates additional information you MUST also provide.

There are no entry fees.

Digital Image requirements

You need to submit digital images in accordance with the stipulated requirements

• Scanned or digitally created files only
• One high resolution digital file is to be submitted for each illustration.
• The file size should not exceed 200MB.
• Ink line and stipple - Bitmap tiff @ 1200dpi.
• Pencil or Continuous tone - Greyscale tiff or psd @ 600dpi (minimum).

INELIGIBLE / will not be accepted

• Jpg or colour files .
• No photos of artworks

Criteria for selection and awards

The Criteria used to judge the Award are as follows:

1. Accurate interpretation and portrayal of the plant characters and diagnostic features highlighted in the botanical description
2. Technical merit
3. Artistic merit
4. Composition
5.  Reproducibility

These are all explained in more detail "A guide to scientific illustration" on the website.

Deadline for Submissions

• submit your entry between: Monday 29 April – Monday 13 May 2024

The Exhibition in 2024

The Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition will be celebrating its 21st birthday by returning  to its original home in 2024 - but in a NEW Gallery.

The exhibition will take place in the newly-opened Garden Gallery at the Robert Brown Building (enter via reception), Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. The dates are: Friday 2nd August – Sunday 25th August 2024

You can see the new Gallery below - on the preview night of its inaugural exhibition The Florilegium: Rainforest Species at Risk

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Botanic Gardens of Sydney (@botanicsydney)

Original artworks are neither exhibited nor sold at the Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition. 

Illustrations selected for this exhibition will be

• either printed on high-quality paper and framed in standard exhibition frames
• or printed at high-resolution on good quality outdoor display material such as canvas or vinyl.

Some works may be enlarged for display, subject to artists' approval.

I noted that

• the Garden Gallery does not yet seem to have a webpage on the RBGS website
• the exhibition is not yet listed on the exhibitions page (where other botanical art exhibitions are listed)
• I also noticed that the website had dropped the "Royal" prefix. (Maybe it's got a republic loving webmaster?

READ my past blog posts about the Margaret Flockkton Award by tapping this link

The Margaret Flockton Award is generously supported by the Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens and the Maple-Brown Family.

SUBSCRIBE to "Botanical Art and Artists - News" by Email
You can unsubscribe at any time.