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Children's Fossil Art on Display in Glucksman Gallery
The winners of the 2024 National Fossil Art Contest are now on display at the Glucksman art gallery in Cork until the 24th of May 2024. The contest was run by the UCC programme Ireland’s Fossil Heritage and was open to children from 4 – 18 years old. The theme of the contest was “Irish Fossils ALIVE”. The winning entries were submitted by children from all over Ireland from County Donegal to Cork.
“Fossils make science accessible to people from all walks of life,” said Professor Maria McNamara, Professor of Palaeontology at UCC. “We want to celebrate our curiosity in the natural world in a creative way through art.”
The winners and their families were welcomed to the Glucksman Gallery on the 10th of May to launch the exhibit and celebrate the inspiring work of the children which beautifully mixed the worlds of science and art.
The winner of each age category received a guided tour of the fossil labs at University College Cork (UCC) and a behind-the-scenes look at our fossil collections. Second prize in each age category won a print of painting by palaeoartist James McKay and third prize won a T-shirt with Ireland’s Fossil Heritage logo. A number of highly commended awards were made in each age category. All prize-winners received a small collection of real fossils as part of their prize.
The overall winner of the contest was Grace Cahill aged 16 from County Waterford.