The BioArtAttack 2D award celebrates the combination of science and art in a 2D format to showcase careful observation of the natural world and the wonders of biology. The winning entries for 2024 have been announced.

An array of almost 900 vibrant and creative entries were submitted this year – one of the highest ever in the competition’s history – with six winners being chosen across the different categories.

An award was given to each of the two categories: one for paintings, drawings, pastel, chalk, or any 2D artwork of animals, plants, or fungi; the other a sub-category – known as the Nancy Rothwell Prize – for labelled specimen drawings.

The competition was open to young people age 7-18, split into three age categories (7-11, 12-14, and 15-18). Each winner receives £50 and all winners will be invited to an experience day at the Royal Veterinary College, London.

The winners of this year’s competition are:

• 7-11 category
  • Joel Li: BioArtAttack 2D Award for ‘African Spurred Tortoise’
  • Ryan Teng: Nancy Rothwell Prize for ‘Snake Anatomy’

• 12-14 category
  • Saleah Pera: BioArtAttack 2D Award for ‘Rock dove’
  • Jenny Yufei Wang: Nancy Rothwell Prize for ‘Suricata suricatta’

• 15-18 category
  • Elsie Allen: BioArtAttack 2D Award for ‘Soften’
  • Barbara Rawa: Nancy Rothwell Prize for ‘Caspian Tern’

7-11 category

BioArtAttack 2D Award winner Joel Li with ‘African Spurred Tortoise’ from Belmont School, New Zealand

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Ryan Teng with ‘Snake Anatomy’ from Whitby Collegiate School, Wellington, New Zealand

12-14 category

BioArtAttack 2D Award winner Saleah Pera with ‘Rock dove’ from Harris Academy, Sutton, UK

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Jenny Yufei Wang with ‘Suricata suricatta’ from Harrow International School, Hong Kong

15-18 category

BioArtAttack 2D Award winner Elsie Allen with ‘Soften’ from Parkstone Grammar School, Dorset, UK

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Barbara Rawa with ‘Caspian Tern’ from Batory School, Warsaw, Poland

Saleah Pera, winner of the BioArtAttack 2D Award in the 12-14 category for ‘Rock Dove’, said: “I felt so thrilled and excited. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity of participating then somehow winning with my entry. Pigeons are one of the oldest domesticated birds. They were used in the First World War for sending short messages on land, in the air and at sea. I was inspired to draw them because I think common things are under appreciated but deserve to be [better known].”

Commenting on his Nancy Rothwell Prize for ‘Snake Anatomy’ in the 7-11 category, Ryan Teng said: "I was super excited when I found out I had won the Nancy Rothwell [Prize]! It was amazing to hear that my art piece was chosen. My inspiration came from my curiosity about snakes – they're really fascinating, especially because we don't have any living in the wild here in New Zealand. I chose to draw a snake's anatomy because I'm really interested in their skeletal structure. I love both science and art, so this project was a fun challenge, and I had to do a lot of research about snakes to get it right." 

This year’s competition was judged by Dr Grace Mackintosh Sim, Royal Veterinary College, Andrew Crook MBE FRSA, Royal Veterinary College and Lucy Maycock, Horniman Museum and Gardens.

Special thanks to the Royal Veterinary College for its continued support of the BioArtAttack awards.

The winners will receive their awards as part of RSB’s annual Awards Ceremony during Biology Week on Tuesday 8 October at The Royal Geographical Society, London.