The Children’s Fossil Competition 2026

The brainchild of The Etches Collection, which started back in 2022 has now become a partnership between The Etches Collection, Lyme Regis Museum and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. This collaborative effort between the three institutions across the Jurassic Coast will help to educate, inspire, and grow knowledge in fossil collecting, palaeontology, geology, and earth sciences on a much wider scale.

This competition is for children to earn the chance to display their fossil finds alongside the collections at The Etches Collection, Lyme Regis Museum and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.
The competition has two age ranges 5-10 and 11-16. There are 6 winners in total, 3 from each age range. The competition is open to all UK residents between 5 and 16 years old. Must have parent/guardian consent.

The competition window is open from Saturday, March 28th, 2026, through to Wednesday, September 30th 2026, where children will have time to submit their entry form along with a written paper, presentation or video explaining where the fossil was discovered, what it is and why they believe it should be on display. No fossils are to be submitted at this stage in the process.

We wholeheartedly encourage families to lend their support to a child’s entry into the competition. Especially in relation to the technical/digital support, such as email and creating viewable files. Please visit the web address below for all the details on how to enter the competition.

www.theetchescollection.org/fossilcomp

If you have any further questions about this competition, please email us at fossilcomp@theetchescollection.org