The world-leading award celebrates the timeless beauty and scientific value of botanical illustration and commemorates the legacy of Margaret Flockton – the first botanical artist at Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
The Margaret Flockton Award is marking 21 years of connecting art and science by returning to its original home at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. This year's exhibition at the newly opened Garden Gallery showcases a select array of beautiful and accurate botanical illustrations by 30 artists from 19 countries.
French artist and botanist François Sockhom Mey took home first prize for his depiction of the newly found Nepenthes limiana - a tropical pitcher plant from the northern Titiwangsa Range in Peninsular Malaysia.
Indonesian artist Yuanito Eliazar has been awarded second prize for his depiction of Scurrula ferruginea – a parasitic mistletoe from China used traditionally to treat various illnesses.
Image: (L) First prize: Nepenthes limiana by François Sockhom Mey (R) Second prize: Scurrula ferruginea by Yuanito Eliazar
Other works receiving highly commended awards this year include Chamaerops humilis by Juan Luis Castillo, Minthostachys verticillata by Fernando Aníbal Gallará and Passiflora helleri by Maria Teresa Jimenez.
The winners were announced by Botanic Gardens of Sydney Chief Executive, Simon Duffy AM, at a ceremony yesterday afternoon. It was also live streamed on social media, allowing illustrators from around the world to respond in real time and congratulate one another on their entries.
"Plant lovers inherently appreciate beauty. But beyond the beauty of botanical art, the discipline has proven itself to be invaluable to the world of botany where scientists absolutely depend on these technical, scientific illustrations," Mr Duffy said.
"As illustrators, you often see details that the botanist misses. That is why it is my absolute privilege to announce and celebrate this year's winners of the Margaret Flockton Award. Your technical skill in depicting important diagnostic characters of a plant and magnifying hidden details is to be applauded and appreciated."
The 41 selected entries are featured in the annual exhibition running until 25 August in the Garden Gallery at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. A carefully selected range of rarely seen Margaret Flockton's historic drawings and lithographs will be displayed alongside the contemporary illustrations. All 49 entries will also be displayed in an online version on Flickr.
The Margaret Flockton Award is judged and hosted by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney's botanical illustrators Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan. Dr Peter Wilson, Systematic Botanist at the National Herbarium of NSW, has also lent his expertise as this year's guest judge to ensure botanical accuracy – one of his final duties before retirement after more than 40 years with Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
"Every year, we are blown away at the calibre of work submitted and this year was no exception. We are so impressed by the technical experimentation and skill and want to congratulate every artist who entered," Ms Wardrop said.
"It was no easy task judging this year's entries but the artistic and scientific confidence of the winning work by François Sockhom Mey really caught our eye," Ms Elkan added.
Both Ms Wardrop and Ms Elkan said it was special to be celebrating 21 years of the Margaret Flockton Award.
"It's a very niche field aimed at the botanical research community in particular, but this award brings it out of the scientific realm for everyone to enjoy. Scientific illustrations can be read and understood anywhere in the world, bridging the language barriers that written information can't." Ms Wardrop said.
"Margaret Flockton's name is now recognisable world-wide, which is exactly what we wanted when we launched the award 21 years ago. Through generosity of the Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens, we are so pleased to still be providing support and exposure to scientific botanical illustrators everywhere," Ms Elkan added.
Comments from the judges:
First prize Nepenthes limiana by François Sockhom Mey of France
In this comprehensive treatment of Nepenthes limiana the artist displays his extraordinary scientific knowledge and ink-drawing skills. Complex and sinuous habits describe variations in the morphology of upper and lower pitchers and the minute floral details on the male inflorescence strike the right balance between detail and line weight. The composition twists and flows beautifully with the negative space and overlapping of elements carefully positioned. Second prize Scurrula ferruginea by Yuanito Eliazar of Indonesia
The glowing tones of this plate really caught the eye of the 2024 judges. The linework is clear and confident where needed, while the hirsute character of the stems, flowers and fruits is exquisitely rendered with delicate penwork. Despite being high in the composition, heavy subjects do not dominate and the whole plate is imbued with elegance and clarity. Highly Commended Chamaerops humilis by Juan Luis Castillo of Spain
Once again Juan Luis Castillo packs a punch with his dynamic habit. This plate reflects the artist's constant experimentation with mark making in digital media, as he interprets both large, heavy forms and microscopic details. The layering of elements, using white space around the fruits and seeds or heavier linework of the female inflorescence, ensures features are not lost amongst the drama of the foliage. Highly Commended Minthostachys verticillata by Fernando Aníbal Gallará of Argentina
This artist has created his illustration with a clear technical aesthetic – lots of space, crisp, clean linework and careful use of stipple. Despite the exceedingly hairy forms, Gallará has cleverly ensured that areas dense with information will remain clear and legible even on reduction for publishing. The logical arrangement of features allows for straightforward reading of the plate. Highly Commended Passiflora helleri by Maria Teresa Jimenez of Mexico
This first-time entrant impressed the panel with her illustration of sheer clarity and legibility. A perennial favourite subject of botanical illustrators, the Passiflora genus offers elegant form and fascinating flowers, so beautiful to observe here. The unusual leaf shapes, observation of the complex floral structures and treatment of the surface detail of the seed elevated this plate, which also reproduced perfectly at half the plate size.
Key Facts:
The 2024 Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition
Friday 2 – Sunday 25 August, 10am - 4pm daily
Entry is free and access to the Garden Gallery is via Reception, 50m north of the main Botanic Garden gates on Mrs Macquaries Road
- All 49 entries created by 30 artists from 18 countries are also displayed in an online version on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/gp/botanic-gardens-sydney/T007713Yo6
About us:
Botanic Gardens of Sydney encompasses three world-leading botanic gardens, Australia's premier botanical research institute, and Sydney's leading outdoor activation precinct. The organisation is founded on a passion for botanical science and horticulture and enriched by its relationship with Traditional Custodians. Botanic Gardens envisages a fair and sustainable world where people, communities and institutions are informed, inspired and motivated to recognise the power of plants and support their conservation.
