BOTANICAL ART & ARTISTS - NEWS

How to exhibit at RHS Botanical Art Show 2027 (Part 1: How to get approved to exhibit)

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:29:38 GMT

This is for all those who want to learn about how to submit an entry to the most prestigious botanical art exhibition in the world - the RHS Botanical Art Show.
It's a summary of what you need to do - with current dates for next year's show.

Part 1 (this post) covers "how to get approved to exhibit".

Put simply, you cannot exhibit unless you have been approved as meeting at least the "silver medal standard".

I have a VERY LONG page on my website which explains everything in more detail.
See RHS Botanical Art Shows: How to Exhibit | How to Visit (or click the pic below and open in a new tab), This covers:

RHS Botanical Art Show: How to Exhibit
ESSENTIAL READING: RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show Exhibitor Factsheet 2006
MY QUICK READ SUMMARY of current information about exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show.
How to Display Your Botanical Art at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2027 & Future Years
Regulations and Guidance
- #1. How to be "approved to exhibit"
- #2 The Selection Meeting - the approval process by the RHS
- #3 What to exhibit
- #4 TRY to VISIT THE SHOW - BEFORE you decide your theme or start your project (plus how to visit the 2026 show)
- #5 How to apply for a space at a SPECIFIC RHS Exhibition of Botanical Art
- #6 How to present your botanical artwork and exhibit
- #7 How botanical artwork is judged at the RHS Show
- #8 How to win an RHS Gold Medal

RHS Botanical Art Shows - under Exhibitions Section on the Botanical Art and Artists website

There is also the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show artists factsheet (2026) which provides guidance for those wanting to exhibit - but at the moment we only have the version for the 2026 Show.

Selection Meeting: How to be approved to exhibit

The #1 thing which makes this exhibition different is that you cannot apply for a space in the exhibition before you have been approved to exhibit by the RHS.

In other words, the standard of your artwork is assessed BEFORE you can apply to exhibit in a specific annual exhibition.

The Selection Meeting considers submissions from artists wanting to be "approved to exhibit" in the next five years
Successful applicants MAY then be able to exhibit at the exhibition in the following year
WHEN you can exhibit depends on:
- the competition for space from previously approved artists
- how many are approved to exhibit at this meeting
- how many artists are coming to the end of their five years approval period

Hence - for all new potential botanical artists wanting to exhibit with RHS - there is a Selection Meeting to determine who may exhibit with the RHS within the five years from 2027.

The Selection Meeting this year will take place on Thursday 8 October 2026.

What you need to submit to get approved

The RHS Botanical Art Judging Panel need to assess and approve you as a botanical artist who meets the standard.

This takes place once a year at the SELECTION MEETING.

You need to submit a sample of four pieces of botanical artwork

you can submit these as high quality prints
each print should be representative of the size and quality of the original artwork
each print must be labelled - on the reverse (use a label!) - with:
- title of artwork
- date of painting
- medium used
- artist's name and title
- postal address
- email address
this applies to both UK and international artists

In terms of getting the artwork to the Selection Meeting:

Prints should be sent rolled in a poster tube
Send this to RHS Lindley Library addressed to:
- Botanical Art Panel Secretary, RHS Lindley Library, 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE UK
by Tuesday 22 September 2026 (i.e. 10 weeks from today!)
all international artists should mark the tube as having a value of £0 (Otherwise it does't get out of Customs)

Note that no prints are returned.

The Selection Meeting then takes place just over two weeks later.

Do you want to apply as a Group?

You can apply to exhibit as a group HOWEVER.....

An artist can no longer apply to exhibit - as a member of a group of artists - on the strength of one picture. (I'm assuming the reason is there have been group exhibits badly let down by the calibre of artwork by one or two artists)
EACH ARTIST in the group should already be approved to exhibit as a solo artist.

In other words a group of six would require approval of EACH of the six different artists as if they were exhibiting on their own.

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What happens at the Selection Meeting

Assessment and selection is undertaken by the Botanical Art Panel Judges - and you can see some of them below. This a link to who are the current RHS Botanical Art Judges

Botanical Art Panel Judges (left to right): Masumi Yamanaka, Helen Allen (Moderator), Gillian Barlow (Chair) Dr Andrew Brown and Deborah Lambkin.

Selection criteria focus on:

Quality of botanical illustration
Quality of the presentation
Overall impression

A very high standard of work (equivalent to at least a Silver RHS medal) is required to be selected to display botanical illustration, judged by the RHS. Emphasis is placed primarily on botanical accuracy in combination with aesthetic appeal. Artists should present examples of their work that is of the highest quality and has been completed recently (and at least within 5 years).

After the selection meeting the Secretary will write to each artist, informing them of the Panel’s assessment.

Accepted artists should stage an exhibit within 5 years, otherwise they must be assessed and approved again.

IF you are accepted as meeting the standard required:

Your contact details are held on a mailing list for five years from the date of acceptance or most recent exhibition
Invitations to exhibit are issued by the RHS Shows Department
Eligible artists may apply for space.
It may not be possible to accommodate all of the artists who apply for space. If this is the case,
- selection criteria will be employed taking into consideration previous exhibition and medal history.
- priority is given to first time exhibitors and those coming to the end of the five year approval period.

TIP: I have been saying for years you really need to aim to win Gold or Silver Gilt at your first attempt because there will a point when any less might mean you only then get that first chance. Whereas artists with good track records (eg Gold and Silver Gilt Medallists) have repeat visits to the show with new exhibits.

In Part 2, for those approved to exhibit (or aiming to be so), I'll highlight all the different ways you can help yourself to achieve a good medal.

FIND OUR MORE about the RHS Botanical Art Show on the following Pages on this website:

RHS Botanical Art Shows: How to Exhibit | How to Visit - the expanded fuller vision of this post - plus the rest of what you need to do
ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2026 - you can view gold medal winning exhibits
Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2026 - and see how these have changed over the years
Tips from RHS Gold Medal Winners - from when I used to be able to interview all of them

BISCOT (June 2027): Call for Entries

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Botanical Images Scotia (BISCOT) the premier botanical illustration exhibition in Scotland is being resurrected!

BISCOT is starting up again and a new show will be held in 2027 - between 12th and 15th June 2027. You can find details of what you need to know and do below.

A retrospective exhibition, titled ‘BISCOT Revisited 2006-2019’, was held at the McHattie Room, Saughton Park, Edinburgh (13th - 16th of June 2024).
BISCOT has been working very closely with the Scottish Society of Botanical Artists (SSBA), and is now planning to hold a NEW exhibition in 2027, again at Saughton Park.

The submission deadline for entries is 14th March 2027.

BISCOT 2027 Website and Call for Entries

This is a competitive exhibition held biennially by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (RCHS - The Caley) and supported by the Scottish Society of Botanical Art (SSBA). BISCOT promotes excellence in botanical painting and illustration. It is open to both national and international artists and presents an opportunity to exhibit new and original botanical artwork in Edinburgh, Scotland.
BISCOT Rules and Regulations 2027

Note: It says "held biennially" but the reality is it was held annually between 2015 (when I started covering it) and 2019.

BISCOT History

WHAT IS BISCOT?

BISCOT is an acronym for "Botanical Images Scotia". It's an exhibition of contemporary botanical illustration which

promotes excellence in botanical painting and illustration.
gives both national and international artists an opportunity to exhibit in Edinburgh and presents new and original botanical work.

BISCOT was founded by a group of artists to organise the a prestigious exhibition for botanical art and illustration in Scotland

the first multi-work, award-giving biennial show in Edinburgh was held in 2006.
The last show was held in 2019. After which the advent of Covid plus the loss of at least one prime mover (Hazel Morris was the BISCOT Artist Co-ordinator and she died in 2020) has meant that the exhibition has been in abeyance for a while. A further complication was that neither Gardening Scotland or Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh venues were options for future exhibitions.
Between 2015 and 2019, the show was held annually

The exhibition has always been open to and attracted international entrants.
In this respect BISCOT is

the Scottish equivalent of the RHS Botanical Art Show in London
regarded as the top show in Scotland in terms of awards and prestige - by both domestic and international artists.

Up until 2019, the BISCOT exhibition was held biennially (in theory) in Scotland and latterly annually in practice

by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (RCHS – The Caley)
supported by the Scottish Society of Botanical Artists (SSBA).

The new BISCOT Exhibition seems to be being organised along the lines of the old RHS Exhibitions in the Lindley Hall i.e.

short space of time - just three days (12-15th June)
artwork can be sold (commission of 20% is charged for each sale)
Exhibiting artists’ cards and prints will be displayed and available for sale near the entrance to the exhibition. (20% commission)

What can you exhibit? Scope and media

WHAT DO BOTANICAL ARTISTS EXHIBIT?

IN THE PAST, each exhibitor created a display of SIX artworks.
See BELOW - the 2019 Best in Show and Gold Medal winning exhibit of Tropical Palms by Sansanee Deekrajang to understand the nature of exhibits which do well

In 2019, Sansanee Deekrajang (Thailand) won a BISCOT Gold Medal and Best in Show for her Exhibit of Tropical Palms

Unlike previous BISCOT Exhibitions - where the requirement was identical to RHS (i.e. a minimum of six artworks, the NEW REQUIREMENT is now four (4) original artworks.

At least four (4) pieces of original botanical artwork, painting or illustration, all executed in the same medium/media must be exhibited.

I'm wondering if at this stage, the organisers would like to see more artists and fewer artworks per artist. There is of course no guarantee it will stay the same into the future as the exhibition becomes re-established.

The BISCOT Rules and Regs make it explicit what you can enter

FOUR (4) pieces of original work based on a common theme must be exhibited.
A minimum of two (2) must not have been shown previously in a competitive exhibition.
All works should be executed using the same media/medium.
All works must be at least life-size unless this is impractical. A scale must be shown in the illustration if it is not at life-size. This also applies for details in the compositions.
The 4 artworks must be accompanied by additional research material, in the form of written evidence regarding the choice of the theme, (Max. 500 words). This work constitutes an integral part of the artist”s submission and will be considered by the judges. It will be shown near your artworks.
Further evidence of preparatory work must also be supplied with your main works. These will illustrate and support your exhibits and include graphic details, line drawings, cross-sections and other exploratory sketches. This work may take the form of a sketch book if that is how you work. These illustrations will be used to make a digital image presentation and shown during the exhibition.
Acceptable media include: watercolour, gouache, graphite, coloured pencil, acrylic, ink, charcoal.
N.B. Any illustrations and/or supporting research work which has been digitally generated, enhanced, or mechanically-produced will not be accepted for exhibition.

How is artwork judged?

Certificates in Gold, Silver-gilt, Silver, and Bronze categories are presented according to merit.

What follows is what it says in the Rules and Regulations.

The Judging Panel adheres to strict guidelines:

if they agree that an exhibit falls below the high expected standard, no award will be made. The judges’ decision is final.
both written and verbal feedback is given to exhibitors.

I know many artists who find such feedback from experts to be invaluable in terms of the development of their artwork and progression of their careers.

DEFINITION OF BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION

This is a genre of art which depicts aesthetically-pleasing, two-dimensional representations of plants whose accuracy of form, colour and detail allow the subjects to be identified definitively.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Works will be judged on Draughtsmanship, Botanical accuracy and the Artist’s Plan of Presentation.

Draughtsmanship and Botanical Accuracy
(a) Are the forms, leaves, stems, flowers and characteristic details clearly and accurately depicted? Are the changes in colour intensity, tone and shadow across the forms used sensitively to give dimension to them? Are the colours well-matched and varied enough within the ranges shown?
(b) If the work is close-toned or monochromatic, are the marks used adequate, appropriate, bold or subtle enough to recreate the desired effect?
(c) Does each work in the artist’s exhibit reveal the character of the plant sufficiently for horticultural identification purposes? Does the inclusion of enlarged details and/or dissections improve both the composition, knowledge of the plant, and theme to the viewer? Are there visual references within each composition which convey extra information regarding e.g. habitat or connecting theme?
Presentation
(d) Do all the elements in each individual work, including artist labels, combine together to create a pleasing composition?
(e) Does the artist’s complete set of works, arranged as they are, present a coherent themed exhibit?

Who is eligible to enter BISCOT?

The website clearly defines eligibility.

These artists are automatically eligible to enter:

Previously been accepted to exhibit with BISCOT
Have exhibited at the RHS Botanical Art Show and gained Gold or Silver-gilt awards,
Graduates who have gained a Diploma with Distinction from the following organisations:
- The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Botanical Illustration Course;
- the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA);
- Chelsea Physic Garden;
- the Irish Society of Botanical Artists (ISBA), and
- equivalent international organisations.

Eligible artists should complete the Eligibility Form and forward it to Alex Hazlewood (the Artist Co-ordinator) who is maintaining the Register of Eligible Artists. This involves providing details of your specific eligibility to enter.
(I'm assuming somebody will be doing a verification of what is being claimed)

BISCOT Eligibility Claim Form 2027

How to be selected if you are NOT automatically eligible?

Artists who are unable to claim automatic eligibility status must submit to a selection procedure.

ARTISTS WANTING TO BE SELECTED

Send four (4) examples of your work, executed within the last three years, for assessment by the BISCOT assessment panel.

These can be unfinished or works in progress and of any botanical subject.
Assessment works should be submitted as soon as possible, but at least three (3) months before the start of the exhibition using the online form https://biscot.org/biscot-selection-form/
Images should be jpg / png
We recommend images with dimensions of:
- Longest side: 2000–3000 px
- Shortest side: 1200–2000 px.
- This should be reflected in the file size of 2–8 MB per image
- Artists who pass the assessment will be kept on the Eligible Register for a further 6 years. An artist who does not exhibit at BISCOT within this period may be asked to resubmit for assessment.
Submission Deadline: The deadline is 12th March 2027

How to apply for space to exhibit

So once you have been registered as

either automatically eligible
or achieiving the standard which permits you to be approved to exhibit

You then start thinking about applying for space to exhibit at the exhibition in 2007.

This is the bit I'm really unclear about.

Essentially this is ONLY happens after you've been approved to exhibit.
Space must be allocated to artists - but ONLY those who want to exhibit in 2027 and apply to do so.

So there needs to be an application to exhibit in 2027 FORM - but I cannot find that form anywhere.

I've sent a query to BISCOT - and will update this post once I've got an answer re where is the application to exhibit in 2027 form

There is however some guidance.

APPLYING FOR SPACE TO EXHIBIT
A fee of £40 to cover administration costs is charged for entry.

This fee should be sent with the appropriate entry form (Page 4.).
Exhibitors who live outside the U.K. may pay their administration fee on arrival at the exhibition.
Space to exhibit is limited and, if the exhibition is oversubscribed, a selection of prospective entries will be undertaken by the SSBA Exhibition Committee.

Those artists who fail to procure a space to show will be given priority for space at the next BISCOT exhibition and their entry fee for the current exhibition will be refunded.

N.B. an artist who has gained a space to exhibit but withdraws must give notice of any wish to cancel in writing to the BISCOT COMMITTEE to arrive at least 28 days before the opening date of the exhibition. This is a strict timescale and any artist who does not comply will forfeit their entry fee and may be ineligible for space at future exhibitions.

How to present your artwork

All exhibits must be labelled on the back with the plant name, exhibitor’s name, email address and an arrow denoting orientation. (See information regarding the scientific Latin names at the end of these notes).
PLANT NAMES: If in doubt about this subject we recommend the RHS (2026) Plant Finder on the RHS website https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results
BISCOT will provide and make labels to place at the beginning of each display showing the Theme Title, the artist’s name and email address (unless the artist does not wish their email address to be seen by the public). BISCOT will also provide and make labels of the individual plant names for each illustration. Artists must provide the necessary information and will be contacted about this in due course.
A suggested order of hanging showing the order of the artworks must be provided by each artist. This is required because the works are to be hung at the venue by SSBA officials who will replicate the pattern and spacing shown on each artist’s plan.

MOUNTING AND PRESENTATION

The walls of the exhibition hall are pale grey in colour. The display boards are royal blue.
Sizes - individual works when mounted must not exceed A2 size nor be smaller than A3 size.
- A2 = 42.0cm x 59.4cms (16.5 x 23.4inches).
- A3 = 29.7cm x 42cms (11.7x16.5 inches).
The 4 paintings/illustrations will not be framed but must be window-mounted on white, off-white, creamy-white or pale grey mounting board and and affixed to a backing sheet 3 – 5mm thick. See illustrations and notes of recommended method.
BISCOT provides diagrams as to how to mount your artwork for exhibition.

BISCOT Archive

I've got an Archive of my past posts on this website about botanical art exhibitions in Scotland.
Here are some of my previous blog posts about it - which will give you an idea of what its like.

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Silver Medals

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:10:23 GMT

This is my post in which I highlight who won the three RHS Silver medals at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2026. As I've mentioned previously, the standard to be accepted to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show is "Silver Medal Standard".

This is the third of my posts about who won which medals. The two before this were

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: View of part of Gallery 2.

Those winning a Silver medal will usually have numerous areas for improvement to reach a Gold Medal Standard. (EXTRACTED FROM: RHS Botanical Art Show #3: Medals Awards and Feedback (2018)

Artists are listed below in alphabetical order by surname. Links to websites or social media are embedded in the name

Kati Haajanen Rosacea - RHS Silver 2026

Kati Haajanen (UK) RHS Medal History: First Time Exhibitor
Rosacea

Kati lives in Cupar in Scotland and is a first time exhibitor and likes painting nature, plants and animals. She did a 2 year Diploma in Painting and Printmaking from Heatherley School of Fine Art, London and graduated in July 2012. She also took watercolour classes with Claire Dalby RWS RE (lucky girl!). Kati is also a children's illustrator.

These paintings are small acts of devotion - to the seasons, to the brief beauty of flowers and berries, and to the way colour carries memory. A reminder that nothing lasts forever, and perhaps that is why it feels so precious,

My reading of her rather "romantic" statement about her exhibit and what her paintings mean to her indicated to me that this was an artist who was maybe approaching these paintings from a rather more floral perspective. She calls it "arty". I am left wondering whether the Judges felt that some aspects lacked the botanical rigour expected of exhibits in this show - and whether that might be the reason for the Silver Medal. For example, I could see no scale bars.

There is also an inconsistency in size and format within her six exhibits. This is something that can be eliminated at the outset if the exhibit is designed from the outset as a set. For me it indicates an artist who has tackled her paintings one at a time - which is not untypical - but has maybe not settled on a pictorial format before she started. I personally found the mats cut in rather too much to the painting leaving less space than I would like to see for the plants to "breathe".

Very grateful for my silver medal, and that they allowed me to use my slightly more arty, less scientific approach in my exhibit

Irina Neacsu (Romania)
RHS Medal History: Silver-Gilt 2022
Iris Pseuadacorus: Beauty and Resilience in Connecticut Wetlands

Irina lives and works in Romania. She originally trained as an architect and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Art University in Bucharest and is a researcher at the National Museum of Art in Bucharest. Her more recent studies have been about the landscape and she uses plants to explore the connections between culture and landscape. It's a very different sort of perspective for an RHS Botanical Art exhibit. I kept thinking of it as "dancing at the margins". Read on to find out why.

Irina Neacsu - Iris Pseuadacorus: Beauty and Resilience in Connecticut Wetlands

Irina provides yet another profile for America in this exhibition. Her fieldwork for her exhibit took place in New Haven (USA) while she studied as a Fulbright Scholar at Yale University, supported by herbarium research in both New Haven, US and Brasov, Romania.

Beyond the joy of the medal, I’m extremely delighted to have painted this set, as the irises from East Rock, New Haven remain a very special memory from my Fulbright year at Yale.

Her exhibit explores the relationships between human intervention, variation and plant
resilience.

Her Iris pseudacorus were documented at East Rock, Connecticut, USA in 2025. Discovering that this species is both invasive and a non-native contrasted sharply with the appreciation it receives in the region. Her research explored the the cultural significance of invasive plants and contemporary ecological aesthetics in landscapes.

I very much liked the size of her artwork and her consistency in making five of the six the exact same size. I also had no problem with her using a map as part of the background on one painting given her research interests.

However, this exhibit for me was a classic example of squeezing in too much work to too short a timescale. There is a reason would-be exhibitors have five years to research and develop their exhibits. Partly it's to do with the botany, partly to do with seasonality issues - but it's also to do with the time required to develop top notch artwork. For me these paintings felt a tad rushed and lacked "finish" and theyapparently did not quite meet the level as an overall exhibit that she achieved for her Silver Gilt Medal in 2022 (see RHS Silver Gilt Medals - Botanical Art Show 2022) - which I missed as I was still mobilising on one leg at the time after ankle fusion surgery!

They are however, in my opinion, a solid exhibit of her main interest.

I recommend her Instagram which covers her range of interests and also shows you more of her artwork up close.

Fran Thomas (UK/Scotland)
RHS Medal History: Silver-Gilt 2021, 2015 & 2014 (She has also previously won a Gold Medal at BISCOT)
Waxcap Fungi of the Lawns of Hopetoun House, Edinburgh

Fran lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland and her practice focuses on painting native Scottish plants. She has a background in Ecology and am MSc in Forest Science. She garduated with Distinction in her Diploma in Botanical Illustration from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh course. I first came across her work in 2014 when she had painted Native Scottish marginal pond plants and won a Silver Gilt. She has also won a Gold Medal at BISCOT and the Mary Mendum Medal for an outstanding exhibit. Fran is resolutely without website or social media.

Fran Thomas with her Silver Medal exhibit "Waxcap Fungi of the Lawns of Hopetoun House, Edinburgh"

Mv fieldwork took place in autumn at Hopetoun House, where the lawns have existed for centuries and more than twenty species (of waxcaps) have been recorded. The identification features I have tried to display include
* texture of cap and stipe (slimy, sticky, dry, smooth, fibrillose);
* gill attachment (broad or narrow, or running down the stipe); and, of course,
* the astonishing colours!

Given her track record to date and my chat with her, I think Fran was disappointed in her medal colour. However, at the same time she knew full well what had contributed to it. Insofar as she rushed to finish some of the paintings for the deadline. I certainly felt there was an discernible inconsistency in the design and level of finish of the different paintings.

The paintings were also rather smaller than those we are now used to in this exhibition. It was also not helped by the fact there were three other exhibits also dealing with fungi in the same show! There was another very colourful exhibit about colourful fungi at the other end of the wall Fran's exhibit is one which won a Silver Gilt. For those visiting the exhibition, it's worth making a study of the four different exhibits and study how they tackled their subjects differently and how that is reflected in the medial they were each awarded.

One of the aspects which is complete pot luck for any artist aspiring to exhibit at RHS is whether your exhibit is going to be one on its own - or whether there are going to be others to compare it with.

In my experience, those who win the top awards and the Gold Medals are typically people who have tackled something unique which has never been done before.

The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show can currently be seen at the Saatchi Gallery until 2nd August.

Open Monday – Sunday
Hours: 10AM – 6PM with last entry at 5.20pm.

You can see one image from every exhibitor online on this page

I'm going back to see it again on Saturday with a multiple Gold Medal winner!
It'll be interesting to see if we have the same perspective on it!

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Silver Gilt Medals

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Mushrooms that occur in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan by Yoyo Sasaki - RHS Silver Gilt Medal 2026

This is my post in which I highlight who won the eight RHS Silver Gilt medals at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2026

My recent post RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Awards and Gold Medals has already covered the top awards and Gold Medals.
My next post will be about the Silver Medals.

My reason for only covering Gold, Silver Gilt and Silver is that your artwork MUST be of Silver Medal Standard for you to be approved to exhibit in the show.

I never cover those who get a Bronze Medal (two this year) or if an exhibit is not awarded any medal - which does happen.

The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show can currently be seen at the Saatchi Gallery until 2nd August. Opening hours are Monday – Sunday 10AM – 6PM with last entry at 5.20pm.

Gallery 1: Long left hand wall with a Silver Gilt either end - bookending two Golds and a Bronze

Context for what the different medals mean

This is a brief characterisation of what each medal represents, written after a discussion about the meaning of the colour of the different medals, back in 2018.

A Gold medal exhibit has to be outstanding in all areas and really have the ‘wow’ factor.
A Silver-Gilt medal is a very high award and still an exceptional achievement. In many cases a Silver-gilt will have only been missing a couple of elements that meant it was not quite a Gold.
The Silver medal will usually have numerous areas for improvement.
A Bronze medal is rarely awarded as the standard is generally so high, but it may be awarded if the artist has really only achieved one or two elements from the criteria.
EXTRACTED FROM: RHS Botanical Art Show #3: Medals Awards and Feedback (2018)

End of Gallery 1 (facing the door)

RHS Botanical Art Show at the Saatchi Gallery - until August 2nd 2026

RHS Silver Gilt Medals 2026 x 8

What was very notable for me was how many of the Silver Gilt Medal Winners were former RHS Gold Medal Winners and Award winners. My jaw kept dropping.

The Judges are very tight lipped. They never ever comment in any specific way on the exhibits to anybody other than the artist. I always have to read between the lines. Sometimes I pick up clues from the feedback given to exhibitors which they pass on to me.

I think this is the most Silver Gilt Medals in an RHS Botanical Art exhibition for some time. As such, it proves an excellent opportunity for botanical artists - both past and present - to

check out the individual exhibits and
see if they can work out why they did not win Gold. i.e. to repeat what was said above - as judged against the criteria which was stated in my last post and summarised below.

This is an exercise which I think is very important to all those aspiring to win a Gold Medal in future.

"In many cases a Silver-gilt will have only been missing a couple of elements that meant it was not quite a Gold.

RHS JUDGES CRITERIA summarised on a display in the Gallery. Every single word counts towards the overall assessment of an exhibit

KEY NOTES
I think maybe the big lessons from this are as follows.

If you won a Gold Medal some years ago - but not this time:

Either the overall standard (for achieving a Gold Medal) has improved - which I personally think it has.
- Past Gold Medal winners also think the same. I know a few who are very wary of coming back just in case they don't win a Gold Medal again.
- The very best way to judge is to come and see the show and observe the standards in the context of the criteria for judging!
- ANY artist should always bear in mind that producing excellent paintings as a "one off" is a VERY different proposition to producing a minimum of six exhibits of equal standard on a botanical theme.
Or your exhibit does not equate to the standard to that which impressed in previous years (and/or is "less wow")
Or you have changed media from that which impressed last time
Or maybe your time planning needs to improve because you rushed the completion of the exhibit. You have five years to complete an exhibit. Use it wisely.
Or maybe your level of "finish" is not as good as it needs to be - and you thought it was
Or maybe a little bit of all?

Now for the individual Artists and Exhibits awarded a Silver Gilt Medal.

Mariko Aikawa GM 2016, 2021 (Japan)
Previous Exhibitor 2016 - winning a Gold Medal and Best Exhibit in show
Tillandsia (3rd series shown at RHS

Two of Mariko's six paintings of Tillandsia

Tillandsia are epiphytes and do not need soil. Many grow in treetops or cling to other plants. They vary greatly in shape, size and colour, depending on the habitat.

Mariko is from Japan and took up botanical painting in 2004 following her retirement as a translator/interpretor at an embassy in Japan. She became a Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists and has exhibited several times with them.

She is a huge fan of Tillandsia and grows about 20 at home. She also works with a nursery which loans her more unusual varieties which are more difficult to obtain.

Mariko has been very successful exhibiting with the RHS to date.

In 2016, Mariko Aikawa's display of paintings of Tillandsia (air plants) won a Gold Medal and the Best Exhibit in Show Award and the RHS bought one of the paintings. It was truly "wow!" (you can see a large image of part of her Best Exhibit on this page)
She again won a Gold Medal with her exhibit in 2021.

Normally speaking, I'd say that somebody who is very good at portraying a specific class of plants can do more and probably repeat what they got last time. IF the exhibit is the same standard. I think the only conclusion I can draw from the Silver Gilt this time is that this exhibit is very good, but doesn't quite achieve Gold Standard when compared to her previous exhibits.

I'd also note that there was a Tillandsia Exhibit by another exhibitor which won Gold for Maria Lombari in 2024. So the Judges also had a more recent exhibit as a reference standard.

TOP TIP: Produce an exhibit on a plant which nobody else has done before and is unlikely to choose! Note: One might think you were safe to choose fungi - however there were four fungi exhibits in this show!

Hyunchin Cho GM 2024; Judges Award 2026
Previous exhibitor 2022 (Silver) and 2024 (Gold).
100 Wildflowers of Jeju Island, Korea

Three of the six artworks making up "The Wildflowers of Jeju Island, Korea

Hyunchin's exhibit was highlighted in my last post as she won this year's Judges Award - see RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Awards and Gold Medals. The Judges Award often relates to the scale of the endeavour.

Speaking personally (and as somebody who has worked in pen and ink and coloured pencil in the past), I actually preferred her GM exhibit in 2024 as the calibre of that exhibit was outstanding in both scope and execution.

This year, while I appreciated the size and scope of the project - I felt the individual artworks would have benefited from being bigger and less compressed.

Gillian Condy RHS Medal History: (exhibiting as Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria SA Group Exhibits) 1975 Silver-Gilt; 1983 - 1999 6 Gold. 2 Silver-Gilt
Pre-rain flowers of the Larkenveli Forestry Reserve, South Africa

The 4,500-hectare reserve is an important water catchment area of pristine grassland surrounded by forestry plantations. In December and January, the veld bursts into a kaleidoscope of colour as hundreds of species vie for attention from pollinators. I mostly illustrated in-situ between December 2023 and
2025. with colour work done in the studio.

Pre-rain flowers of the Larkenveli Forestry Reserve, South Africa by Gillian Condy

Gillian is an eminent botanical illustrator who has lived and worked in South Africa for decades. I think I'm right in saying this is her very first RHS Botanical Art Show in her own name, rather than as the resident artist illustrating for a national institution - which won six Gold Medals between 1983 and 1999.

She spent 35 years as the resident botanical artist at the National Herbarium, the South African National Biodiversity Institute in which capacity she was responsible for six exhibits which won RHS Gold Medals.

She has illustrated more than 200 plates for Flowering Plants of Africa, contributed to various other South African National Botanical Institute publications and eight plates for Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.
She has illustrated two books by Charles Craib, Geophytic Pelargoniums (2001) and Grass Aloes in the South African Veld (2005). (I have a copy!)
She also contributed to the biographic section in the book South African Botanical Art: Peeling back the Petals (2001).
She has contributed to the Highgrove and Transylavania Flroilegiums, the Sydney Florilegium and Grootbos Florilegium
She curated South Africa's contribution to Botanical Art Worldwide in 2018 and 2025.

She was born in Nairobi in Kenya but lived while young in England. She has a vocational diploma in graphics and scientific illustration at Middlesex Polytechnic and a Master's Degree in Fine Art at the Royal College of Art. Her degree project, British Poisonous Plants, received a Grenfell Medal (Silver Gilt) from the Royal Horticultural Society. She then freelanced in various jobs involving botanical illustration and teaching prior to becoming a botanical illustrator in Pretoria.

For me there was absolutely no question that these were very strong images - as you would expect from a very experienced botanical illustrator. I gather the thinking was that they maybe leaned a little too far towards illustration and didn't quite reflect the level of finish typically achieved by Gold Medal winning exhibits these days. As Gillian said to me, as a working illustrator, she has learned to work very fast over the years.

I'm a big fan of her artwork and I'd absolutely love to see her come back again with another exhibit and show us what she can do when she slows down a tad. Now she's retired she has the potential for all the time she needs! I'm absolutely sure another exhibit - at a slower pace - will be an absolute stunner!

Vivianne Dubach RHS Medal History: First Time Exhibitor
Acer psuedoplatanus: The most common disease symptoms in Switzerland

Acer psuedoplatanus: The most common disease symptoms in Switzerland by Vivienne Dubach

To me, the beauty in the forest is the result of interactions between organisms. Disease is part of a healthy forest but at the same time it can endanger it.
This series portrays Switzerland's native Sycamore maple as I see it on my walks, working as a forest pathologist. Based on scientific data starting in 1984, I have shown the symptom development of some of its most relevant harmful organisms, these include fungal pathogens, mites and wasps. Leaf symptoms are shown throughout an entire growing season.

I thought this was an absolutely fascinating topic for an exhibit - and one which might be very useful to others working in her field of forest pathology. It's very much of the highly scientific end of botanical illustration as these images are produced solely for use in recognition of disease. This is, of course, one of the prime purposes of botanical illustration.

Vivianne Dubach works for the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL and has authored a number of scienitific publications relating to the forest.

Norma Gregory GM 2006, 2008 and 2011
Silver-Gilt 2016 & 2008
Roots - from my Garden

We largely ignore roots, yet plants depend on them. Some of the ones on displav I planted, others I inherited. The liquorice root I bought as a 5-year-old plant, 15 years ago.

Roots - from my Garden by Norma Gregory

Norma Gregory lives and works in England and is a self-taught botanical artist and was originally a natural history artist. She has a a post-graduate Diploma in Adult Education.
She has previously won three Gold Medals.

She won her first Gold Medal (for Tree Seedlings) the same year she took up botanical art!
Her 2009 Gold Medal was about Aspects of Garlic.
Her 2011 Gold Medal was for Rooted Fascination which was about roots and root vegetables.
Her artwork is held in Kew Garden Archives, RHS Lindley Library, Natural History Museum, Chelsea Physic Garden Archives and the Hunt Institute of Botanical Illustration, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh USA

I wasn't surprised to see Norma continue her abiding interest in roots. However I must confess I found this a very brown exhibit. I preferred her paintings from 15 years ago in the 2011 exhibition which also focused on roots and which is where I met Norma for the first time. That extra tad of colour makes all the difference to me. I'm guessing the Judges might have felt the same way.

Part of a GM series, "Rooted Fascination" by Norma Gregory GM (2006, 2008 and 2011) Exhibited and pictured at: RHS London Orchid and Botanical Art Show 2011. Gold medal. Purchased by the Lindley Library in 2011.

Yoyo Sasaki RHS Medal History: First Time Exhibitor
Mushrooms that occur in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

Yoyo Sasaki lives and works in Osaka, Japan. She has received multiple Director's awards in the Botanical Drawing Competition at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo.

Her exhibit is about mushrooms which display a wide range of characteristics - such as different colours.

I found the exhibit to be rather up the technicolor end of colour - but Yoyo assured me these colours are all ones found in mushrooms.

All mushrooms are fungi with a stem and a cap. There is endless fascination
with them, such as the structure of the underside of the cap, the distinctive scent of some and their different colours. The colour of the gills changes as the spores ripen. Some mushrooms discolour when bruised.

I'd be entirely guessing, but my initial reaction as to why this is not a Gold leans towards three things - which are inter-related.

Composition: Each exhibit is also absolutely packed with information and I'm also wondering if a larger format might have suited them better - allowing the content more space to "breathe".
Colour: The various strident colours make this a very difficult exhibit to "balance". While each exhibit is fine on its own, I found it difficult to read as a whole. I'm not sure the artist considered before painting how they would look when exhibited together. (see tip below).
Context: Maybe less context as well - given botanical subjects are normally illustrated in isolation and the extra information makes each exhibit very "busy".

TOP TIP: Multiple Gold Medal winner Julia Trickey GM (2006, 2008, 2012, 2013) once told me that she never ever starts to paint until she has worked out the layout for all her individual exhibits AND the exhibit overall. In other words, the design of each individual exhibit contributes in a positive way to the way the overall design for the exhibit as a whole - and how it reads when considered as a whole

You can see more tips from past Gold Medallists on my dedicated Tips from RHS Gold Medal Winners page.

Mushrooms that occur in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

All mushrooms are fungi with a stem and a cap. There is endless fascination
with them, such as the structure of the underside of the cap, the distinctive scent of some and their different colours. The colour of the gills changes as the spores ripen. Some mushrooms discolour when bruised.

RIGHT Mushrooms that occur in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan #2

The compositions include distinctive features to identify the subiect, fallen leaves to indicate the environment and some flowers and plants to indicate the season.

Keiko Nibu Tarver
Aesculus species of Eastern United States

Keiko Nibu Tarver was born in Japan and is currently based in Philadelphia, PA. Yet another of the four US botanical artists who have exhibited this year.

She has a first degree as an MD and a PhD in Biochemistry and worked as a paediatrician in Japan until 2008. Subsequently she moved to Philadelphia and is a member and board director of both the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators.

Her artistic interests includes plants native to the United States and Japan, especially plants of the Aesculus genus.

In 2014 / was living in Philadelphia and became fascinated with the autumn colours of the leaves of a horse chestnut tree, Aesculus hippocastanum. I learned that several species of the Aesculus genus, known as buckeyes, grow natively in parts of the eastern United States. The non-native horse chestnut and the hubrid
species, Aesculus × carnea, grow in many parks and gardens in eastern United States. I painted this series of artworks to show the similarities and differences of the leaves. flowers, buds, and seeds of six species of the Aesculus genus.

Aesculus species of Eastern United States (LEFT)

Aesculus species of Eastern United States ( RIGHT)

This to me is a great example of a "very nearly but not quite" exhibit. Keiko Tarver's exhibit is in the exact same place as the Best Exhibit last year of Magnolias native to Japan and China by Mayumi Hashi. It was inevitable that I'd start comparing the two. (I have a very good visual memory for outstanding exhibits which I can recall years later - but you can also check out her exhibit on her Instagram account)

For me the design and composition of the individual paintings and the exhibits worked well. I liked the small graphite representation of the tree which is a technique which usually works well when illustrating trees.

However, the level of finish in terms of painting didn't quite make it a Gold for me. Very nearly - but not quite. If you looked at it without a reference to a Gold Standard in your head - or elsewhere in the exhibition - you might think it great. However as I have said very many times before, the very solid indicator of Gold Standard is how an artist paints leaves....and that's what I noticed.

I've no doubt Keiko now has it within her to come back with another exhibit and win Gold. There's a lot to be proud of in this exhibit - but I have a feeling she can do even better!

Masako Watanabe
RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor
Gentianaceae surviving in Japanese Mountain

Masako Watanabe - Gentianaceae surviving in Japanese Mountains #1

Masako Watanabe lives and works in Japan. She graduated from the Faculty of Education, Yokohama National University. While teaching at Yokohama City Junior High School, she started botanical art. At the Green Academy of Tokyo University of Agriculture, she deepened her knowledge of the cultivation of vegetables, flowers, fruits and plants in general. She is a member of the Yokohama Botanical Society - and she also loves to walk in the mountains. So unsurprising that her exhibit is about mountain gentians.

She was first inspired to pursue botanical art by what she saw at Kew Gardens.

I'd have liked to have seen all the exhibits the same size. I know these are small plants but there's scope to paint bigger.

This series features gentians living bravely on six mountains in Japan. Due to climate change summer rainfall has decreased, creating harsh environments for
gentians and putting them at risk of extinction. They have a variety of strategies for survival: some bloom on rocky or gravelly areas in high mountains; others flower in spring and scatter raindrops during the rainy season. Some gentians produce nectar glands to attract insects, while others turn their fruit red in the fall to be eaten, or spread their seeds on the wind.

Masako Watanabe - Gentianaceae surviving in Japanese Mountains #2

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RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Awards and Gold Medals

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:47:04 GMT

Jenny Hyde Johnson receiving her Best Exhibit Award

On Thursday night, botanical artists from a number of different countries gathered at the Saatchi Gallery to find out who had won what colour of medal and the major awards for best painting and best Exhibit in the RHS Botanical Art Show 2026

Below I have listed the names of all the winners of the major awards and the Gold Medals. Together with my photo of their exhibit - and the exhibit with the artist where possible Plus info about both the exhibit and the artist.

The short version is on the RHS Online exhibit of all 19 entries to the Botanical Art Exhibition 2026. Regular readers will recall my posts tend to be rather longer!

My tweak for this year is I am including some "zoom" pics of specific parts of some paintings.

The remaining medal winners are listed in the next post.

(Apologies for the photos - I'm going back to see if I can improve. The Saatchi Gallery where the botanical artwork is has a very odd lighting which grays everything out. It's always a struggle to get anything looking like the actual exhibit.)

The RHS Botanical Art Show 2026 - how to visit

The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show is now opens to the public until 2nd August 2026

at the Saatchi Gallery in London
There is Free entry for RHS and Saatchi Gallery members, on production of a valid membership card (pre-booking not required).
Otherwise entry costs £6.

That's six weeks to in which you can pay it a visit and find out

WHY this is the oldest and most prestigious botanical art show in the world which has been held in various forms for nearly a 100 years; and
WHAT the standard of botanical art is which wins an RHS Gold Medal!
You can read about the shows from 2007-2025 in my dedicated page on this website. ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2025. I have been to every single one of the London shows.

I highly recommend you pay it a visit if you have any aspirations to

be a better botanical artist. Find out more about the artists who won medals and awards below.
enter this show - but I give you a bit more help in
- my page dedicated to RHS Botanical Art Shows: How to Exhibit
- my page about Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows - which categorises the titles of past gold medal winning exhibits. You may be surprised at the result....

The latter will need a major update due to one observation I have to make about this year's show

My RHS blog posts are usually VERY LONG - with

lots of images and
lots of useful information and tips for those aspiring to one day be exhibited in the RHS Botanical Art Show.

However, I'm now 71, had major shoulder surgery just over 2 months ago and, while I can now type again - I'm slower than usual and must pace myself.

NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS AND PAINTINGS IN 2026

19 botanical artists and illustrators are participating in this exhibition - compared to

15 in 2025,
22 exhibits in 2024 (which I did not see as I was recovering from surgery at the time) and
23 in 2023.

The numbers are often down to people dropping out - for various reasons - after they have received an invitation to exhibit.

Each artist has an exhibit of six artworks and all 19 exhibits and 114 paintings were

individually assessed by the RHS botanical art judging panel (of whom more in a later post) according to the Judging Criteria - see below
awarded an RHS medal - PLUS an RHS award for some.

The artists come from the following countries

Japan x 5
Romania x 1 (US subject)
South Africa x 2
Switzerland x 1
UK x 7
USA x 3

RHS MEDALS FOR BOTANICAL ART

This year there are:

Gold Medal x 6 (i.e. every single artwork was GM standard)
Silver Gilt x 8 (i.e. the exhibit may have been let down by one painting or one aspect repeated throughout)
Silver x 3
Bronze x 1

There are also some surprises!

MAJOR CHANGES IN 2026

The major changes I observed in 2026 are as follows:

A major emphasis on HABITAT (13 exhibits) - and hence, as well as native plants, we can see exhibits which define the influences of geology and ecology and current threats.
- 5 of the 6 Gold Medallists
- 6 of the 8 Silver Gilt Medallists
- 2 of the 3 silver Medallists
- SEE ALSO my list of Gold Medal winning Exhibit Titles at past RHS Botanical Art Shows. I would suggest this current exhibition suggests that exhibits about Plant Families and Genus names is giving way to what I call Exhibits related to a specific place or location (habitat / locality / country)
three exhibits about FUNGI - and one about common disease symptoms - both of these are not common topics for exhibits but reflect increasing interest in the non0floral
an increase in AMERICANS! At last this exhibition is becoming better known and American artists are up for the challenge! (The exhibits even included artwork about an American area by a Romanian!)
- three individuals living in New York, Connecticut and California
- as usual UK and SE Asia artists dominated
It's also nice to see South African Artists again - there have been too few of late.

RHS Botanical Art 2026: Mary Crabtree and Christiane Fashek

RHS Botanical Art 2026: Gillian Condy from South Africa

RHS Botanical Art 2026:Jenny Hyde Johnson from South Africa

ASSESSMENT, CRITERIA AND STANDARDS

The standard to get "approved to exhibit" is "at least silver" and I would normally expect everybody exhibiting to endeavouring to do better than the artwork they exhibited to get "approved to exhibit". But it doesn't always work out like that - and 4 exhibits did not improve on that standard.

I ONLY write about those artists who achieve silver and above.

This is a brief characterisation of what each colour of medal represents, written after a discussion about the meaning of the colour of the different medals, back in 2018.

A Gold medal exhibit has to be outstanding in all areas and really have the ‘wow’ factor.
A Silver-Gilt medal is a very high award and still an exceptional achievement. In many cases a Silver-gilt will have only been missing a couple of elements that meant it was not quite a Gold.
The Silver medal will usually be because an exhibit has numerous areas for improvement.
A Bronze medal is rarely awarded as the standard is generally so high, but it may be awarded if the artist has really only achieved one or two elements from the criteria.

RHS Botanical Art Show #3: Medals Awards and Feedback (2018)
(Note: I have even seen exhibits not even given a medal award in the past).

Below you can read the Judging Criteria used to assess the medal status. These are excellent guidelines for developing any botanical art at any time for any reason.

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Judging Criteria

RHS Botanical Art Awards 2026
- for outstanding botanical artwork

Charlotte Brooks - RHS Art Curator and Secretary of the Judging Panel - introducing the awards for the RHS Botanical Art Show 2026

BEST BOTANICAL ART EXHIBIT 2026
Jenny Hyde-Johnson (South Africa) Fynbos Diversity of the Coastal Limestones on Grootbos

RHS Best Botanical Art Exhibit 2026: Fynbos Diversity of the Coastal Limestones on Grootbos by Jenny Hyde-Johnson

This is an exhibit about a special floral landscape within the Cape area of South Africa. Jenny says this about her exhibit.

Limestones of the Southern Cape Coast are new rocks; being only about two million years old. They overlay older dominant sandstones and form small islands' in the landscape, home to highly adapted endemic fynbos. Limestone Fynbos is extremely threatened in the areas surrounding Grootbos Nature Reserve due to invasive non-native vegetation and nabitat destruction

I've been illustrating plants from Grootbos since 2019 and I wanted to seize the opportunity of highlighting these endangered limestone plants. I included a non-endemic Oxalis found growing in the calcrete, for interest and colour
Jenny Hyde-Johnson

For the uninitiated, South Africa has some special words to describe its native vegetation.

REFERENCE NOTE:
Fynbos is a unique, fire-prone shrubland and heathland vegetation found primarily in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The term derives from the Afrikaans/Dutch for "fine bush"

“Grootbos” means “Big Bush” in English. The area is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom

The coastal limestone found at the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in South Africa's Western Cape shapes the region's dramatic geography, archaeological heritage, and unique fynbos ecosystems. The calcareous, calcium-rich soils of the coastal limestone provide the foundation for highly specific fynbos vegetation

Jenny Hyde-Johnson may be a first time exhibitor but she is also a very well known botanical artist. She trained and worked as a Graphic Designer, but has been painting full time since 2006 and also is well known for also painting wildlife. She was honoured to receive Gold Medals in all three Kirstenbosch Biennales which she entered (2006, 2008 and 2013) as well as a Gold in the 21st International Orchid Congress in 2014. Her work is in the public collections of South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Yellowoods/Spier SA, LYWAM USA, The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation USA and Dr Shirley Sherwood’s collection UK as well as in many private collections worldwide.

Jenny for me is very much a "dead cert" Gold Medallist given her previous track record - despite being a first time exhibitor! The icing on the cake, as it were, was to become the very first artist (I checked!) to win both the best exhibit and the best artwork awards at her very first RHS Exhibition. It will be a long time before that record is equalled.

Her botanical paintings are impeccable and all deserve to be studied properly with a magnifier. She not only managed to paint white flowers on white paper without in any way making them look murky. She also manages to paint the specimens in their native landscape as a miniature painting in every painting.

This tradition of illustrating a landscape to provide context for the specimen was started by Auriol Batten (South Africa) some years ago. She used graphite as did Lynda de Wet who won an RHS Gold in 2013 with painted specimens and a graphite landscape context.

To my knowledge, Jenny Hyde-Johnson is the first botanical artist to provide a miniature PAINTED landscape to accompany her painted specimens - and then includes the specimens in the landscape!

BEST BOTANICAL ARTWORK 2026
Jenny Hyde-Johnson - Syncarpha aryropsis and Erica coccinea in degrading limestoe

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Best Artwork - Syncarpha argyropsis and Erica Coccinea in degrading limestone - by Jenny Hyde-Johnson

Detail of the Best Artwork by Jenny Hyde-Johnson in the RHS Botanical Art Show 2026. Note the variety in the greens and the white flowers on white paper.

THE JUDGES AWARD 2026

Hyunjin Cho GM (2024) 100 Wildflowers of Jeju Island, Korea

The Judges Special Award 2026 has been awarded to a past RHS Gold Medal Winner Hyunjin Cho for her exhibit 100 Wildflowers of Jeju Island, Korea. (She was not present at the exhibition)

This exhibit documents the extraordinary diversity of seasonal and endangered species native to the volcanic island's unique ecosystem. Each exhibit also has a smaller version which identifies the various plants in each exhibit.

My exhibition presents wildflowers native to Jeju Island, observed and recorded across a wide range of ecological environments, from coastal areas to high-altitude habitats. My artworks are organised into six thematic sections. Following the rhythm of the seasons, I explore the life cycles of these plants and highlight species that are now endangered. The island was formed following a volcanic eruption about 2 million years ago and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mountain at the centre is called Hallasan Nature Reserve.

100 Wild Flowers on Jeju Island by Hyunjin Cho - first three paintings

The exhibit was also awarded a Silver Gilt Medal.
Hyunjin Cho previously won an RHS Gold Medal in 2024 for her "Succulents Studied in Stippling" in pen and ink. This exhibit uses coloured pencils and demonstrates her versatility in the use of different media.

Born in South Korea, Hyunjin Cho pursued a major in Design and Craft Pedagogy in graduate school after a Craft Design undergraduate degree. In Korea, she earned a teaching license in art education. In 2017 Hyunjin Cho moved to the United States and subsequently worked as an art teacher. She also began studying botanical art and obtained a certificate in botanical art from Filoli. She now lives in Los Altos, California, where her primary focus is botanical art. Her artwork is showcased in various prestigious exhibitions worldwide.

Her works are held in permanent collections at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the The Shirley Sherwood Collection. She is a Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists and a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists.

“This series of drawings is a glorious celebration of the rich diversity of the wildflowers of Jeju Island. The scale of work Hyunjin Cho has undertaken is truly impressive, she has extensively researched her subject and brought to life an astonishing array of flowering plants.”
RHS Botanical Art Judges

100 Wild Flowers on Jeju Island by Hyunjin Cho - second three paintings

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RHS Gold Medals x 6

Six Gold Medals have been awarded - one fewer than last year and the least in some years. Judges have become more restrained in how many gold medals they've awarded in recent years - in part due to a smaller number of exhibits. Six represents just over 30% of the 19 exhibits in the show.

In terms of countries, gold medals were awarded as follows:

Japan x 1
South Africa x 1
UK x 2
USA x 2

All but one were to first time exhibitors.

The artists are listed below in alphabetical order of their surnames. Plus you can see my photo of each exhibit - with the artist (if they were there and I met them and I could get a photo)!

Bernard Carter GM 2012, 2017 and Best Exhibit 2017 (UK)
Previous exhibitor 2004,2010,2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2025
Tree Fungus

Bernard F. Carter is a self-taught botanical artist and illustrator who lives near Falmouth in Cornwall. In the past he has usually exhibited at either NEC Birmingham or Malvern. Latterly he has exhibited at the Saatchi. He has a photographic background, but has spent much of his working life as a Botanical Artist and Illustrator. He was a founding member of the Eden Florilegium Society. In 1990 his book "The Floral Birthday Book was published - after 378 paintings were completed within a 10 month period. He won a Silver Gilt Medal in 2019 and a Silver Medal in 2025. I rather think Bernard has been after a hat trick of Gold Medals!

For this exhibit Bernard has been reconstituting the original forms of fungus he has found on his travels along the Southwest Coastal Path and local woodlands by placing them in warm water. His specimens were all found on dead and dying stumps of wood.

Tree Fungus by Bernard Carter

Mary Crabtree (Colorado, USA) First time exhibitor
Asclepis species: Milkweeds of the US Great Plains Region
Instagram: @marycrabtreebotanicalartist/

She has a great moving slides version of her exhibit on Instagram

Prior to becoming involved in botanical art, Mary was a Research Microbiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mary subsequently studied botanical art with various tutors, including

online via the Botanical Illustration Diploma Course (online studies) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Her first and Masters Degree are in microbiology. (2021-2024)
Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration with Distinction, School of Botanical Art and Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens (2021)
plus a lot of coloured pencil workshops with Ann Swan!

In the last five years she has a very extensive track record of exhibiting with various organisations in the US and UK. I like the fact she got approved to exhibit with the RHS back in 2021 and this was the last year of her five year allowance to produce an exhibit. This shows to me a woman who is very confident of her ability to master knowledge, skills and detail - and do her research properly!

Mary was told during her feedback that she had painted "the best leaf in the show" and BELOW you can see an enlarged image of that leaf - to give all those who aspire an idea of the standard of excellence which can be exhibited in this show.

It belongs to the left hand painting in the top row above - and is located about half way down the left hand stem.

"The Best Leaf in the Show" by Mary Crabtree

Central Panel of Raucous Glaucous by Christiane Fashek (RHS 2026)

Christiane Fashek (New York, USA) First time exhibitor
Raucous Glaucous: Lichens of Texas Hill Country 16X
Instagram: @christianefashek

Christiane Fashek is a first time exhibitor who has arrived with a humdinger of an exhibit. It's possibly the best looking exhibit in the show. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if she wins the "People's Choice Vote". It's such a big surprise to see Lichen magnified 16 times. To then see the wet and the dry versions contrasted in three pairs is also amazing. My jaw genuinely dropped!

Christiane is based in New York and works in coloured pencils and we had a nice chat about how to mix colours using coloured pencils. Her award winning artwork regularly appears in talks online and in various exhibitions. She is a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and the American Society of Botanical Artists. he is also a Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists and a cofounder of the Central Texas Botanical Artists Circle.

Christiane uses scale, perspective, and color to highlight lichens’ fascinating features and draw attention to their role as environmental sentinels.

Raucous Glaucous by Christiane Fashek - 3 pairs of lichens magnified 16 times. Left = wet and Right = Dry

Sally Pond (UK) RHS Silver Gilt in 2013, 2014 and 2016
Grasses from the Greater Tarnava Valley, Southern Transylvania

I'd describe this exhibit as being traditional and classic in terms of the type of plate you might find in a Field Guide to a particular genus - such as grasses. It provides all the information you need in an easy and accessible format.

The diverse meadow communities of the Transylvanian Plateau (notably around the Târnava Mare region) are dominated by several widespread grass specie

My interest in illustrating grasses led to an invitation to Transvlvania to contribute to James and Rachel de Candle's herbarium and field guide of the local flora. Thousands of hectares of centuries old grassland in the region are vulnerable to the pressures of modern farming techniques. Recording these plants is an amazing project.

Throughout this project my aim was to capture the character and individuality of each grass. It was no surprise to find specimens identical to those at home. Only the flamboyant Chrysopogon gryllus was unknown to me, it being native to Central Europe and Asia.
Sally Pond - Exhibit Description

Sally Pond with her exhibit of "Grasses from the Greater Tarnava Valley, Southern Transylvania"

Sally Pond is a graduate with distinction (2011) from the Diploma Course in Botanical Art run at the Chelsea Physic Garden. In that same year she moved to Salisbury and in 2012 began running botanical painting workshops at Sarum College in the Cathedral. Sally is a founder member of the Salisbury Florilegium Society, a group of local artists and students who are putting together a collection of paintings of plants from the gardens in the Close.

Eriko Yamada (Japan) RHS Silver Gilt in 2004
Asarum species of Japan

Eriko Yamada has produced, like Sally, a very traditional and informative plate about the different species of Asarum in Japan. She has the complete plant and dissections of all key parts of the plant.

Eriko draws a wide variety of plants, including common plants, wildflowers, wetland plants, and medicinal plants. Latterly she has become interested in dissected and magnified diagrams, and observing plants with a stereomicroscope before drawing them, which she find to be a very enjoyable activity.

I'd like to thank Eriko for having a website which automatically translates into English! It's much appreciated!

Asarum species of Japan by Eriko Yamada

Asarum is a genus of perennial understory plant in the family Aristolochiaceae, characterised by ground-level flowers and species-specific leaf forms.

In Japan, the genus shows high endemism and pronounced regional differentiation, making it an important group for understanding forest ecosystems and evolutionary diversity. I visit regionally endemic habitats of Asarum across Japan to observe and draw these plants. Some of the species I document are considered threatened, and this work serves as both artistic practice and biological record.

More to come!

I'll be producing another blog post about the recipients of the Silver Gilt and Silver Medals.

However, my sister, who lives in Australia, is in town this week at the same time as I'm covering the Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery - which is where I'll be tomorrow night find out who has won. Which means the next post is probably going to be published next week.

Don't forget the exhibition is on until 2nd August. I'll certainly be going back for another look - as I did last Friday following the PV on Thursday night.

You can find out more about the RHS Botanical Art Show on the following Pages on this website:

The End of The Margaret Flockton Award

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:25:48 GMT

Back in the middle of May, Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop, the organisers of the Annual Margaret Flockton Award at the Botanic Gardens Sydney announced there would be no competition in 2026.

More importantly, they also announced that, after 22 years - after Margaret Flockton emerged as a woman botanical illustrator of excellence and importance on International Women's Day in 2003 - this is also THE END of the Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration Award.

Title Poster from the 2025 Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition

The letter below highlights the development of the award and all those who made significant contributions to keeping the competition going on an annual basis.

Not least due to the contributions from botanical illustrators from around the world.

Winning this award became a significant achievement in a botanical illustrators career - and many of names of the winners are well known to those in this field. I know a number of them personally and I know they will be very sad not to have this platform for their illustrations.

I know that both Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan - who have jobshared their work for many years - will be very sad to see the end of the award, but be very pleased with what it accomplished. Read on to find out what that was.....

Dear fellow artists, colleagues and supporters of the Margaret Flockton Award,

Recently we have received queries from many of you, regarding the timing of the Margaret Flockton Award 2026. Our response has been a little tardy while we considered the recent decision that the Award will not proceed from 2026 onwards. After almost a quarter of a century of commitment to this annual showcase of the best of international botanical illustration, we know that many of you will be as saddened to hear of this conclusion as we were.

Since 2003 the Margaret Flockton Award and Exhibition has been a mainstay of the annual event calendar for the Botanic Gardens of Sydney. From our first exhibit of original drawings in the Red Box Gallery, then to the decade in the Maiden Theatre, travelling exhibitions to the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens Mt Tomah, then on to The Calyx, out to the foyer of the brand new National Herbarium of NSW Mt Annan and finally back to our original home at the Gallery at RBG Sydney, we have bent and swayed with locations, budgets, digital evolutions and pandemics. For 22 years, tens of thousands of viewers enjoyed our exhibition in-person and then online, as it fostered the love of plants and created scientific awareness through botanical illustration. In total, over 990 entries were exhibited, with over $154,000 in prize money awarded for botanical illustrations of the highest scientific, technical and artistic merit.

The Margaret Flockton Award and Exhibition would not have been sustainable for all of these years without the incredible commitment and support of the Maple-Brown Family, through the Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens. Such support changed the lives of many artists, not only through the generous prize money offered and the opportunity to sell individual artworks, but by inspiring artists the world over to see and appreciate the work of their peers. We have watched novice artists develop over the years, inspired by the community, to become professional botanical illustrators. For giving space for these opportunities, we are extremely grateful to the Maple-Brown Family.

Public engagement was a real success story of the Margaret Flockton Award, annually representing the work of the National Herbarium of NSW and global botanical research institutions to the curious public. This flagship event of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney relied on the support of Science Leaders and Executive teams, plus the amazing assistance we received from our wonderful invigilators, drawn from the Foundation & Friends, Volunteer Guides and Mounting Room Volunteer cohorts, and fellow Botanic Gardens of Sydney staff. These generous people spent countless hours manning the exhibition space and sharing their incredible experiences and knowledge of plants, art and science. The Exhibition also took the yearly opportunity to share historically important documents and artifacts from the Daniel Solander Library collection, offering floor talks and tours for the general visitation as well as Foundation & Friends’ membership and donors.

And of course we thank you, our incredible entrants, without whom the Award would not have enjoyed such success!! Astoundingly, some artists have submitted illustrations for most, if not all, of the 23 years – your commitment and passion is memorable, thank you. For every artist who contributed, know that your work was greatly considered, appreciated, admired and discussed by both judges and the public who deeply engaged with our niche nexus of science and art. Conversations often exceeded half an hour as visitors to the exhibitions asked every type of intriguing question, plus the old faithful – ‘why do they use drawings instead of photographs?’ Your works were a vehicle to enlighten and inspire, and their influence has been broad.

Finally, we honour the legend who was Margaret Flockton, the first botanical illustrator at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney (1901-1927). The Margaret Flockton Award and Exhibition was designed to internationally highlight the immense contribution that Margaret made to Australian botanical taxonomy, as well as rewarding those who similarly strive to excel in this narrow field of illustration today. Twenty-three years since our first exhibition, we feel the Award has achieved all of those aims. Margaret’s name is now known and respected by a community of scientific illustrators around the world, as is the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, with illustration embedded in taxonomic research here since 1901.

From us, Lesley and Catherine – we can’t believe how our talk on International Womens Day in 2003 could lead us this far. It has been the most wonderful experience growing the Margaret Flockton Award with all of you over the years. We have looked forward to opening every single illustration, welcoming new artists on the scene and catching up with regular entrants. We have sincerely loved the communication and community around the Margaret Flockton Award, and the inspiration has quite literally changed how we draw! We will definitely miss seeing what is at the cutting edge of botanical illustration each year.

So now we turn to a strange year of non-stop drawing, the first in 23 years! We remain available on email and Instagram (details below) where we will endeavour to post our own work, or anything else that we find inspiring, in lieu of your lovely MFA entries. We are considering an on-line retrospective exhibition of highlights from the Margaret Flockton Award archives, so please follow us on Insta for future announcements. Feel free to reach out or even visit our lovely studio at the National Herbarium of NSW if ever you are in Sydney.

Friends, thank you so much for the last two decades, it’s been incredible.
May your plants be well pressed, and your pencil ever-sharp….

Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop

Botanical Illustrators
Margaret Flockton Award Curators
National Herbarium of New South Wales
Botanic Gardens of Sydney

@rbg_illustration

Catherine Wardrop

Lesley Elkan

Above are the two botanical illustrators responsible for the Margaret Flockton Award.
Right click and open in a new tab to read more about each of them on the Botanic Gardens of Sydney website.

Below is the video of the last year's exhibition - which was the last annual exhibition.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Catherine W & Lesley E (@rbg_illustration)

What Next?
A new award for contemporary botanical illustration?

It won't be easy and it won't be immediate - but I cannot believe that there's no scope to reinvent an award for contemporary scientific botanical illustration at another institution.

It needs - in what is possibly the order of importance:

a sponsor;
a host;
exhibition space within a leading botanical garden with practising scientific botanical illustrators;
both professional and administrative support - but these need not be employed by the botanical garden;
and a new name - depending on how hosts and sponsors. Although it would be nice if it could be named, like the last award, after an eminent botanical illustrator from the past.

So here's the challenge - how about having a think and working out what might be possible!

The history of the award

Banner for the page on this website dedicated to the Margaret Flockton Award

You can read more about here on The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration. The award started in 2003 and this page covers some of the later exhibitions - but needs to be updated for 2024 and 2025 as I've been remiss in updating my website of late (having reached 70 and awarding myself more time for an actual retirement!)

Diana Carneiro receives Jill Smythies Award 2026

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:14:33 GMT

The Brazilian botanical artist Diana Carneiro was recently presented with the prestigious The Jill Smythies Award 2026 for botanical illustration by the Council of the Linnean Society. (See The Linnean Society Announces 2026 Medal and Award Recipients)

She received a medal and £1,000 for outstanding, diagnostically relevant, published illustrations.

The Jill Smythies Award 2026 Winne : Diana Carneiro - pictured with samples of her artwork and her book about botanical illustration (Photo credit: Laurence Hill)

The following records the award announcement by the Linnean Society

The Jill Smythies Award 2026

(To a botanical artist for outstanding, diagnostically relevant, published illustrations)

The award is for made to a botanical artist in recognition of:

excellence in published illustrations in aid of plant identification,
with the emphasis on botanical accuracy
and the accurate portrayal of diagnostic characteristics.

This is the statement from the Linnean Society about why Diana received this award. Christabel King was there to see her former student get the award.

Diana Carneiro is a Brazilian artist and botanical illustrator based in Curitiba. Initially training in the biological sciences in 1968, she spent 25 years teaching science and biology before turning to botanical art full time. Later studying painting, she graduated from the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná in 1992. A 1997 Margaret Mee Foundation fellowship took her to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where study with artist Christabel King deepened her commitment to botanical illustration. Working in watercolour and pen and ink, Diana has produced approximately 400 descriptive botanical illustrations, including newly discovered species. Her work appears in journals worldwide, and she trains illustrators through the Centro de Ilustração Botânica do Paranáthe (Center for Botanical Illustration of Paraná or CIBP), of which she is a founding member.

Diana Carneiro pictured with the Linneaus painting at the Linnean Society in London (Photo credit: Laurence Hill)

About Diana Carneiro

'From observing plants, I have come to understand that every being on Earth carries the secret of life within. As a botanical illustrator, I aim to raise awareness—especially among children and young people—about the need to preserve and restore the environments on which our existence depends. To the scientists and artists of nature who shape the history of this honourable institution, my sincere thanks.'

This is about Diana Carneiro, who is included on my page about botanical artists of significance in Latin America

Based in Curitiba, (MM Scholar 1997)

Initially training in the biological sciences in 1968, she spent 25 years teaching science and biology before turning to botanical art full time.
Bachelor's degree in Painting from the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná, 1992
1997 Margaret Mee Foundation Fellowship - studied Botanical Illustration at Kew, England with Christobel King
Founding member of the Paraná Botanical Illustration Center (CIBP and organizer of the Open Course Design Botanical Illustration.
Steering Group Member of the National Union of Scientific Illustrators (UNIC).
Coordinator of II National Meeting of Scientific Illustrators (II EBIC) held in Curitiba PR, in July 2008.
Affiliated to American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA).
Exhibits internationally including the 13th Hunt Exhibition.
Co-organizer of the 1st Expomundial/Brazil of Botanical Illustration in 2018.
Has works in serval important collections.
Her book "Botanical Illustration: Principles and Methods" was published by Editora the Federal University of Paraná, in May 2012.

More about Diana Carneiro

website https://www.dianacarneiro.com.br/
instagram https://www.instagram.com/dianacarneiro_aquarelas/

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Find out more about the Jill Smythies Award for Excellent in Botanical Illustration and past recipients

This website has a page about the Jill Smythies Award which is dedicated to:

what the Jill Smythies Award for Excellence in Botanical Illustration is all about
how the nomination and award process works (the annual deadline for nominations is 30th September each year)
past recipients of the Jill Smythies Award (1988-2025)

Established in 1986 by the late Mr B E Smythies FLS, in honour of his wife, the late Florence Mary Smythies ("Jill"), whose career as a botanical artist was cut short by an accident to her right hand. Awarded to a botanical artist in recognition of excellence in published illustrations in aid of plant identification, with the emphasis on botanical accuracy and the accurate portrayal of diagnostic characteristics.

BOTANICAL ART & ARTISTS - NEWS

How to exhibit at RHS Botanical Art Show 2027 (Part 1: How to get approved to exhibit)

Selection Meeting: How to be approved to exhibit

What you need to submit to get approved

Do you want to apply as a Group?​

​What happens at the Selection Meeting​

BISCOT (June 2027): Call for Entries

BISCOT History​

What can you exhibit? Scope and media​

How is artwork judged?​

​Who is eligible to enter BISCOT?​

How to be selected if you are NOT automatically eligible?

How to apply for space to exhibit​

How to present your artwork​

BISCOT Archive

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Silver Medals

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Silver Gilt Medals

Context for what the different medals mean​

RHS ​Silver Gilt Medals 2026 x 8​

RHS Botanical Art Show 2026: Awards and Gold Medals

The RHS Botanical Art Show 2026 - how to visit​

​RHS Botanical Art Awards 2026​- for outstanding botanical artwork

RHS Gold Medals x 6​

More to come!

The End of The Margaret Flockton Award

What Next?​A new award for contemporary botanical illustration?

The history of the award​

Diana Carneiro receives Jill Smythies Award 2026

The Jill Smythies Award 2026

About Diana Carneiro

Find out more about the Jill Smythies Award for Excellent in Botanical Illustration and past recipients

Do you want to apply as a Group?

What happens at the Selection Meeting

BISCOT History

What can you exhibit? Scope and media

How is artwork judged?

Who is eligible to enter BISCOT?

How to apply for space to exhibit

How to present your artwork

Context for what the different medals mean

RHS Silver Gilt Medals 2026 x 8

The RHS Botanical Art Show 2026 - how to visit

RHS Botanical Art Awards 2026
- for outstanding botanical artwork

RHS Gold Medals x 6

What Next?
A new award for contemporary botanical illustration?

The history of the award