Australia’s public broadcaster ABC has opened voting for the 2026 Australian Insect of the Year, in partnership with science and conservation organisations including CSIRO and Zoos Victoria. The aim is to choose the nation’s favourite small creature and draw attention to how important insects are.
There are six finalists: the gold Christmas beetle, the Mallee Bronze Azure butterfly, the orchard swallowtail butterfly, the Otway glow-worm, a stalk-eyed signal fly and the tortoise-shelled ladybird.
Insects are vital for nature and farming: according to entomologist Ken Walker, 90% of crops rely on insect pollination, and only 1% of known insects are pests. It is also estimated that only about 30% of Australia’s insects have a scientific name.
Voting closes at the end of October and the winner will be announced on 9 November, at the start of Australian Pollinator Week. Previous polls were won by the blue-banded bee in 2024 and by a dragonfly in 2025.
