Thousands choose festive favourite as 2026 Australian Insect of the Year
More than 44,000 Australians voted in this year's ABC Australia Insect of the Year campaign, but which of our six finalists took home the gold?
The gold Christmas beetle has been crowned the 2026 Australian Insect of the Year after winning a significant share of online votes. The golden-jacketed beetle from northern Queensland received 39.3% of the 44,472 votes cast by Australians. The beloved insect narrowly beat out the adorable ladybird (24.9%) and mysterious glow-worm (10.9%) to take the top spot.
Other finalists included the Mallee bronze azure butterfly (8%) and orchard swallowtail butterfly (6.8%). The campaign, run by Invertebrates Australia, aimed to raise awareness about the plight of Christmas beetles, whose populations have declined in recent years. Founding director Kate Umbers expressed hope that this recognition would inspire people to care for these insects and contribute to their conservation.
The announcement of the winner comes amid several conservation programs, including Australian Pollinator Week and Bugs in my Backyard week. Invertebrates Australia is encouraging people to document Christmas beetle sightings throughout the summer, providing valuable data for researchers.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
