Margaret Flockton Awards, 2024 Finalist
Maria Ppiros was listed as a finalist in the 2024 Margaret Flockton Awards in Sydney at the Royal Botanic Gardens. The MFA is an annual, international award for excellence in scientific botanical illustration, with 2024 only seeing Maria and two other Australian finalists listed amongst 41 finalist entries from 19 countries.
Maria’s entry is linked to her research and PhD, examining the ways in which botanical illustration in the Australian context can be decolonised, challenging historical representations of nature to foster pro-environmentalism. Her selected plate, pictured below, features the Tarnma plant, a native Kaurna edible botanical.
For the creation of this entry, Maria would like to acknowledge and thank the following:
• Dr Anna Voytsekhovich for her mentorship, guidance and feedback.
• The Kaurna Cultural Consultation engaged with for the creation of this entry.
• The Botanic Gardens of South Australia, the State Herbarium of South Australia and the SA Seed Bank, for providing botanical references and information on taxonomic descriptions.
