The trilobite fossil has just been voted the ACT's new fossil emblem.

The fossil was selected as the emblem after a public vote, beating out a field of five fossils, winning 30 per cent of the vote. About 1100 people cast a vote for the fossil emblem.

Batocara mitchelli is one of the most common fossils found in the ACT.

Being a trilobite, it's a marine animal, meaning it existed when the territory was underwater.

It is normally found in fragments but an almost complete fossil was found during the construction of the John Gorton Building.

The ACT emblem will be based off the specimen found at the building.

While a fossil emblem might seem unconventional, Geoscience chief scientist Dr Steve Hill said a fossil emblem would help to reinforce the community's connection with the earth.

"The ACT has amazing fossils in its rocks and so why not celebrate that and acknowledge that," he said.

"The best thing about it is it also makes people more aware of it and then people are able to better connect with that bit of planet earth.

"It's that bit of the earth in the ACT that really influences our lives in so many ways."

It will be the fourth emblem for the territory. The ACT already has floral, faunal and mammal emblems.

The ACT is the fourth Australian jurisdiction to have a fossil emblem, following NSW, Western Australia and South Australia.

"There are a lot of other places that have fossil emblems so why should ACT miss out on all of the fun?" Dr Hill asked.

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It is also the second emblem to go before a public vote. Two years ago, there was a public vote for the mammal emblem between the southern brush-tailed rock wallaby and the eastern bettong. It was a tightly-fought race, with the wallaby just inching ahead.

ACT Environment Minister Mick Gentleman announced the winner. He joked that during the ACT election the question he was asked most was "why does the ACT need a fossil emblem?".

"It's the history, 430 million years is quite amazing and we tend to not think about that at all, most of us think about the here and now or maybe in the next 12 months we don't think about our history and all the incredible things that happen," he said.

In the coming months, the ACT Fossil Emblem selection committee will work with the ACT government on a design for the emblem.