Fossil Display Categories & Important Information
In general, more than one entry per member is allowed. However, there is one exception to that general rule. Only one Best Fossil can be entered by each member in each of the 2 Best Fossil categories.
Also, please make an effort to identify and label your fossils whenever possible.
Also, fossils collected prior to the year 2025 and then finally prepped during the year 2025 are not eligible for certain display categories.
You will find the 11 Competition Categories listed below. Because there are new categories and categories that have been modified, please carefully read the requirements listed under each category. There are specific rules for each category that must be followed.
1. Best Collection - 2025 Club Trip (entry must contain only specimens
collected in 2025 from a single trip to a single site) Because we collected at
Napoleon twice last year, fossils from these 2 trips can be considered as being
collected in a single trip.
2. Best Collection - 2025 Non-Club Trip (entry must contain only specimens collected
in 2025 from a single trip to a single site)
3. Best Fossil - 2025 Club Trip (entry must be a specimen collected in 2025, the fossil
can be displayed alone or displayed in a collection, and only one Best Fossil can
be entered by each member in each of the 2 Best Fossil categories)
4. Best Fossil - 2025 Non-Club Trip (entry must be a specimen collected in 2025, the
fossil can be displayed alone or displayed in a collection, only one Best Fossil can
be entered by each member in each of the 2 Best Fossil categories)
5. Best Collection - Open Competition (a collection of fossils from a single site that
may contain specimens from past years, individual fossils collected prior to 2025
are not eligible for the Best Fossil categories listed above)
6. Best Collection - Common Theme (a collection of fossils from multiple sites under
a designated theme, it may contain specimens from past years, individual fossils
collected prior to 2025 are not eligible for the Best Fossil categories listed above)
7. Best Collection - Youth (ages 13 or under) - Any personally collected fossils from
any trip (club or non-club), as long as not previously entered. May be organized
by site, theme, or any other way.
8. Best 2 Dimensional Paleo Art - Adult (age 14 or older, entry may be an artwork
created in any year, entries entered in our Banquet Competition in previous years
are ineligible) Note: Any drawing, painting, etc. done on a rock, tile, or other
3D object is still considered 2D if the artwork itself is essentially 2 dimensional.
9. Best 3 Dimensional Paleo Art - Adult (age 14 or older, entry may be an artwork
created in any year, entries entered in our Banquet Competition in previous years
are ineligible)
10. Best 2 Dimensional Paleo Art - Youth (age 13 or younger, entry may be an artwork
created in any year, entries entered in our Banquet Competition in previous years
are ineligible)
11. Best 3 Dimensional Paleo Art - Youth (age 13 or younger, entry may be an artwork
created in any year, entries entered in our Banquet Competition in previous years
are ineligible)
You are also most welcome to create a non-competitive fossil display that will not be entered in any of the 11 competition categories. In the past, some of our members brought fossil displays to the banquet with the sole intent of simply providing our members with some interesting fossils to view without those fossils being entered in the competition.