Birds take centre stage in young artists' biology competition

The winners of the Royal Society of Biology's BioArtAttack competition 2026 have been announced.

The competition combines science and art in 2D format to celebrate detailed observation of the natural world and the wonders of biology.

Aimed at young people aged 7-18 (split into three age categories: 7-11; 12-14; and 15-18), participants are asked to draw or paint their favourite animal, plant, or fungus. A second prize for specimen drawings, the Nancy Rothwell Prize, is won for each category.

Winners

7-11 category

BioArtAttack Award winner Alyssa with 'Indian peafowl' from St Faith's School, Cambridge, UK.

On winning the award, Alyssa said: "I am so thrilled to win the BioArtAttack competition! I was inspired to paint a peacock when I saw the way the light bounced off its textured feathers at Barcelona Zoo last spring. I wanted to share my amazement at this miracle nature created. When biology meets colour, truly great things can happen – and right now, I am feeling as proud as a peacock!"

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Elizabeth with 'Common kingfisher' from Harrow International School, Hong Kong.

Commenting on her prize, Elizabeth said: "I feel very lucky and grateful to be chosen for the Nancy Rothwell Award. I chose the kingfisher because I was amazed by how it can dive and catch fish so quickly, but still look so graceful. I was also fascinated by its bright blue feathers. I learned that birds don’t actually have blue pigment, but the way light reflects makes them look that way, and I thought that was really special. I feel very honoured to receive this award, and I will keep working hard to learn more about nature and biology."

12-14 category

BioArtAttack Award winner Eva with 'Green peafowl' from Charterhouse School, Surrey, UK.

On winning the award, Eva said: "I was absolutely delighted to win the competition this year. I have always enjoyed both biology and art and after entering the competition last year, I was especially proud to receive an award this year. I chose the green peafowl because [it] is quite a rare type of bird and I want to raise awareness for it."

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Harriet with 'Moon jellyfish' The Queen’s School, Chester, UK.

Harriet said: "I’m so proud and excited to have won, and so glad that I took part as I have learnt so much from this competition. I chose the moon jellyfish just because I was interested in painting and drawing it, but as I was researching, I discovered so much about the species that I would have never known otherwise, such as how the medusa stage is only a small part of the jellyfish’s whole life cycle!"

15-18 category

BioArtAttack Award winner Eve with 'Trumpeter hornbill' from Hall Cross Academy, Doncaster, UK.

Commenting on her win, Eve said: "I’m so proud to have won this year’s competition and to be able to depict the beauty of trumpeter hornbills. I’ve always found birds to be gorgeous animals and couldn’t be happier to have celebrated this species through a painting!"

Nancy Rothwell Prize winner Yerin with 'Secretary bird' from Korea International School.

Yerin said: "I am extremely honoured to win this competition, which celebrates two of my greatest passions: biology and art. I was initially drawn to the secretary bird’s striking appearance, but learning about its extraordinary adaptations – especially its powerful kick – gave me an even deeper appreciation for the remarkable diversity of bird species around the world!"

Special mentions

For the BioArtAttack Award competition, special mentions go to:

Kong Cai Victoria in the 12-14 category with 'Seed finch' from Surbiton High School, Kingston, UK.

Trinity in the 15-18 category with 'Saiga antelope' from Haberdashers' Girls' School, Hertfordshire, UK.

Prizes

The winners of the BioArtAttack competition will be awarded a prize bundle provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The winners of the Nancy Rothwell Prize will receive a cash prize of £50. All winners from across the categories are invited to an experience day at the Royal Veterinary College.

The winners will receive their awards during the RSB’s Awards Ceremony during Biology Week on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at The House of Commons, London.

The RSB wishes to thank the Royal Veterinary College for its continued support of this award.

The RSB also thanks the Defra for providing a prize bundle this year to the winners of the BioArtAttack competition 2026. This year's competition was open to submissions of drawings and paintings (without labels or descriptions) of young people’s favourite fungi, medicinal and aromatic plants, or any species recently listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Notification to the Parties 2026/Proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II. This year's theme highlighted the importance of protecting these species, with the UK celebrating 50 years since it ratified CITES.