We are excited to announce our three winners of the Palaeontographical Society Marsh Palaeoart Award 2025!
This annual award was launched in 2023, and recognises talent in the depiction of fossil faunas, in keeping with the foundational aims of the Society. It is supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust. This year our guest judge was last year’s winner, Robert Nicholls.
Overall Winner: Matt Humpage
The Rhynie chert: a palaeoenvironment reconstruction
Description: A photorealistic 3D palaeoenvironment reconstruction of the Devonian Rhynie chert, Scotland. Created in Blender as a figure for publication (Loron et al. 2025), it comprises three separate reconstructions. The main one is a 5 metre square section of the hydrothermal environment, with Prototaxites taiti at the centre. There are living and dead Asteroxylon mackiei growths, and Rhynia. The nearby hot spring contains algal mats, and there is a cross section through the peaty soil. The second image is a close up image of Prototaxites steaming in the early morning sunshine, surrounded by dense growths of Asteroxylon and Rhynia. The third showcases Prototaxites’ tube-like structures and other roots in the peaty soil. The tiny trigonotarbid, Palaeocharinus rhyniensis, creeps among them. Two close-ups highlight Prototaxites fragments (textured from fossil specimens), and fine tube like structures. This complex composition was created by Matt with close feedback from the scientists who commissioned it, reflecting the latest scientific understanding of this unique and important lagerstätte and the organisms that inhabited it.
Judges Comments: The judges felt this piece was quite exceptional. They were impressed by the beautiful realism and fine detail. The rendering of the enigmatic Prototaxites is unique. The picture gives a full example of an entire environment, adhering to the fossil evidence at all scales, large and small. One judge commented that they wanted “to rummage amongst the plants to see what I can find; I want to sniff the peaty soil and feel the moist air on my skin.” Compared to large vertebrates and plants, it can be difficult to give relatively small and modest lifeforms charisma, but they felt Matt expertly achieved this. A deserving winner who set a high bar.
Matt responded, “I’m thrilled that The Rhynie Chert was chosen as overall winner. It’s such an important fossil locality, and I’m honoured to have had the opportunity to bring it back to life. Reconstructing landscapes in 3D is difficult, and I can’t think of a greater compliment than a judge wanting to climb into the composition and rummage.”
Find out more about Matt’s art here, and follow them on twitter, and bluesky.
Highly Commended: Julianne Kiely
Alderblattina simmsi walking across Selaginellites sp. and cf. Takakia
Description: A multimedia depiction of the cockroach, Alderblattina simmsi, walking across Selaginellites and Takakia. These are found in the Toarcian Whitby Mudstone Formation of Gloucestershire. The shape and colouration of the forewings of Alderblattina are based on the holotype specimens, with the rest of the anatomy inferred from related fossil taxa and modern species. The illustration was initially created in pen on paper, then scanned and coloured digitally. It was produced to promote a paper by Swaby et al. (2024) and used in displays in Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
Judges Comments: This piece is filled with delicacy and fine detail, and the judges were delighted to see plants given as much consideration as an animal. The unusual curved style of the framing makes it stand out as something unique, emphasising the shape of the plants growing up behind the Alderblattina. It is both traditional and accurate, like a naturalist’s illustration, as well as feeling fresh and new.
Julianne said, “I’m thrilled to have been awarded! My goal with my artwork is to try and elucidate more obscure and often ignored taxa with the same care that is given to more charismatic megafauna, so I’m overjoyed that my little plants and insect are getting such wonderful attention! Thank-you so much to all the judges, and to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for funding this artwork.”
Find out more about Julianne ‘s work here, and follow them on twitter, instagram, and bluesky.
Highly Commended: Natalia Jagielska
Ancient, smiling Dorset
Description: This set of artworks depicts the diverse fauna of the Lower Lias of Lyme Regis and Charmouth. It represents the most common vertebrates found there, and some of the animals discovered by Mary Anning. The work contains the ichthyosaurs Ichthyosaurus communis and Temnodotosaurus platyodon, the plesiosaur Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus (recently celebrating its 200th anniversary since its discovery), the first British pterosaur, Dimorphodon macronyx, and dinosaur Scelidosaurus harrisonii, along with the ammonite, Coroniceras. The animals are portrayed as grinning, stylised caricatures, both to appeal to the diverse museumgoers, and as a nod to the works of Henry de la Beche, and was based on animals portrayed in the first piece of widely distributed palaeoart, Duria Antiquior. The images were created to coincide with the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, where they were used as promotional material (stickers, merchandise) to collect funds for the Lyne Regis Museum.
Judges Comments: These illustrations are joyous, and the judges felt that their dynamism made them perfect for their purpose of engaging with a wide audience, especially young people. They maintain accuracy while creating something fun, giving us novel depictions of often-represented animals. They also reflect a powerful individual artistic style.
Natalia said, “I am glad the Palaeontographical Society appreciates art that embraces novelty and a bit of jovial, juvenile energy, thank you so much! Educational communication has to resonate with a diversity of people, embracing different art styles helps to achieve that goal. The Duria Antiquior, one of the first pieces of “palaeoart” which inspired this work, oozes personality and style. The artist deployed the same tongue-in-cheek approach to his scientific art as he did to his caricatures, with the piece being crude (animals leaving trails of coprolites), cartoonishly humorous (Ichthyosaurs donning cheeky grins), but not to the piece’s educational disadvantage. I also hoped to achieve this. I am also happy that an artwork that started as a charity piece for Mary Anning, was modernised and reinterpreted, helping the Lyme Regis Museum to educate people about Mary in her former house.”
Find out more about Matt’s work here, and follow them on twitter and bluesky.
We’d like to thank all of the artists for their submissions, and our judges and sponsors. If you are interested in submitting a piece for the next Marsh Palaeoart Award, submissions will open again in Autumn 2025, keep an eye on our social media and website for updates.