6e VCWAP : Ainhoa Lekuona remporte le prix du meilleur paléoart

Ainhoa Lekuona

awarded the prize for the Best Paleoart

During the 6th edition of VCWAP, women paleoartists showcased 17 reconstructions on GatherTown©, an interactive platform that fosters real-time discussions. Among this impressive lineup, Ainhoa Lekuona’s illustration stood out, earning the Best Paleoart Award. She was awarded a €100 prize, generously provided by AWAP. Congratulations, Ainhoa, on this well-deserved recognition!

About the paleoartistic reconstruction: ‘History of wolf domestication: raising orphaned pups’ by Ainhoa Lekuona

Ainhoa Lekuona created an illustrated infographic exploring one of the leading hypotheses of wolf domestication, in which Palaeolithic humans actively initiated the process by adopting wolf pups. Drawing on archaeological and isotopic evidence, the work highlights how hunter-gatherers may have integrated young wolves into their camps, with women and children playing a central role in their care and socialization. The artwork also offers a feminist perspective, challenging traditional narratives centered on male hunters accompanied by wolves. To reconstruct this scenario, she combined research on prehistoric clothing and paleoart with anatomical considerations of early protodogs and modern grey wolves. The final visuals were produced using a mix of graphite sketches and digital tools, including Procreate and Photoshop.

Meet Ainhoa Lekuona

Although she has loved drawing since childhood, Ainhoa Lekuona studied Biology at the University of Salamanca and a Master’s degree in Zoology from the Complutense University of Madrid, both in Spain. From the beginning of her undergraduate studies, she knew that her work as a biologist would focus on nature conservation, which has led her to travel around the world to take part in various projects. However, a raptor conservation project in Argentina marked a turning point in her career. During this work, she realized that scientific illustration could be a highly valuable tool for conservation and public outreach.

She felt that what she had been doing since childhood could be applied to her work as a biologist and could be perfectly combined with her passion for animal conservation.

Today, Ainhoa continues collaborating with professionals in the fields of natural sciences, medicine, and biochemistry, as well as with institutions, museums, and other organizations. 

To date, she has created bird illustrations for SEOBirdLife and the Aranzadi Scientific Society, designed infographics for signage in various locations, created covers and chapters for doctoral theses, master’s theses, and undergraduate theses, and designed posters to promote events related to biodiversity conservation.


Undoubtedly, what motivates Ainhoa most about her illustration career is illustrating science so that the general public can learn more about it, especially when it relates to animals, their history, and conservation. 

To find out more, follow Ainhoa’s work on social media: