The ‘Olympics’ for botanical artists is The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Botanical Art & Photography Show, held annually at the Saatchi Gallery in London. 

Artists are vetted before they can exhibit and compete for gold, silver, silver gilt and bronze medals. Those winning gold medals can reap the benefits of being recognised as a top botanical artist on a prestigious international stage. However, between ‘want to enter’ and ‘awarded a medal’ is a complex and lengthy process. Katherine Tyrrell, whose website is recognised as one of the top botanical art compendiums in the world explains more...

The RHS Botanical Art Show aims to elevate the practice and quality of botanical art and illustration. It’s the only exhibition in the world that requires an exhibit of at least six top-notch artworks on one botanical theme, and regularly attracts top botanical artists from many countries across the world. The exhibition also welcomes lots of visitors since moving to its current prestigious location in Chelsea. 

Above: Daleen Roodt won a gold medal and ‘Best Botanical Artwork Prize’ in 2024. This painting also won the People’s Choice Award for her watercolour painting of Eulophia Horsfallii & Dissotis Princeps with Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa flavorufa)

South African artist, Daleen Roodt was a first-time exhibitor with the RHS and won a gold medal for her detailed paintings of orchids indigenous to South Africa, complete with the bees, moth or bird that pollinates these flowers. She is passionate about understanding the structure of each plant, which she says, ‘is a crucial part of learning the anatomy of my little orchid, enabling me to paint it with understanding.’

Above: Amelia Grass won gold (2024) with her exhibit Overlooked: Wildflowers in the Restored Meadows of Glyntaff, South Wales

Talking about her gold-medal win ahead of last year’s exhibition, Amelia writes: ‘I am very honoured to have my works featured in the RHS exhibition of botanical art alongside some exceptional artists. I was incredibly grateful to achieve a gold award as a first-time exhibitor. My collection of scientific-style botanical illustrations hopes to explore the intricate beauty of some quite common British wildflower species which we see every day and often consider to be weeds. The value and beauty of these species are often overlooked, and we underestimate their importance within ecosystems including gardens, urban habitats and wildflower meadows. I was inspired to create the portfolio based on the species that grew within the wildflower meadows being restored at the University of South Wales where I work as a senior lecturer, but many of these species will be familiar to the public, so I hope that they enjoy looking a bit more closely at these amazing flowers.’

 

A guide to exhibiting

How to be approved to exhibit
Before you can exhibit, you must first be ‘approved to exhibit’. To do this artists must submit four high-quality prints, representative of their original botanical artwork, to the RHS Botanical Art Judging Panel for assessment and approval (normally in the month of September).  Groups can also apply. 

Above: RHS judges at a selection panel meeting, with submitted artwork, featuring (left to right) Masumi Yamanaka, Helen Allen, Gillian Barlow, Dr Andrew P. Brown, and Deborah Lambkin.

The judging panel vet applications based on submitted artwork alone. To be selected, the artwork should be judged at least silver medal standard. Successful artists are likely to have previously been awarded prizes and commendations at national botanical art society exhibitions. 

The criteria used for selection approval includes: 
•    Quality of botanical illustration: accuracy and technical detail of the plant portraits
•    Quality of the presentation: does artwork exemplify excellence in botanical illustration/art?
•    Overall impression: for example, is all the artwork at or above silver medal standard?
 

Approved to exhibit: What next?
Once approved, you have five years to develop an exhibit comprising six pieces of botanical illustration on a coherent plant theme. Exhibit themes tend to be significant and often have a story behind them. The majority of gold winning exhibits cover the themes of family or genus names, specific locations/habitats and lifecycle/growth.

Strict criteria

It is advised that those approved read the Exhibitor Factsheet very carefully as this includes the very detailed criteria used to judge exhibits. Artists are expected to work from live plants – either in the field or in their studio. You can take your own photographs to assist but these are never a good substitute for observations from life. If working in the field, create sketches to gain as much information as possible, for example: habit, life cycle, colour notes will be useful aids. Specimens should only be collected if permitted and not rare and/or endangered. You can also grow your own.

Paintings directly copied from photographs are not acceptable and artwork is expected to be at least life size (it can be bigger but not exceed five linear metres hanging space). Media used is typically watercolour, however coloured pencils are also popular. Some previous exhibits have been submitted in either graphite or pen and ink or mixed media. All artworks must be on white or off-white paper or vellum only and produced within the last five years. Artwork must not have been enhanced using image software.

Apply for space to exhibit
After approval, successful applicant's are added to a mailing list and are invited to ‘apply for space to exhibit’ for the next five years. You can apply to the show in the year after approval if you have already developed a project but I recommend taking your time to create your best exhibit and viewing the exhibition first. Nearing the end of your project is a good time to apply if you have all the sketches/ photos/dissections/material needed to complete your illustrations and exhibit. I’ve met many artists who have tackled a life cycle and then had a year when the plants did not perform! Competition for places in the annual show has increased a lot in recent years and the judging panel has criteria for who gets a space. Previous exhibition and medal history matters. Those who get a bronze medal or don’t win a medal are less likely to get a second chance to improve, which is why you must always only ever submit your very best artwork. Priority is typically given to new artists who have never exhibited before and artists running out of time to exhibit. Subject matter is also important, It’s always good to see exhibits on new themes.

Applicants also need... 

• A hanging plan for the artwork.
• Label content for each artwork, using the Latin name of each plant.
• Supporting textual narrative and images for the exhibit, identifying what it is about and how you tackled your project. Photos of you working on location are welcomed for the show video.
• High-resolution images for marketing purposes and use by the press.

 

Katherine Tyrrell has been analysing and writing about RHS botanical art since 2007. Find out more at her website.