Thousands choose festive favourite as 2026 Australian Insect of the Year

The gold Christmas beetle is the newly crowned 2026 ABC Australian Insect of the Year.

The golden-jacketed summer visitor from northern Queensland won over more than 39.3 per cent of online voters in the annual campaign run across the ABC News website.

A grand total of 44,472 people voted for the third ABC Australian Insect of the Year, with 17,454 nominating the gold Christmas beetle (Anoplognathus aureus) among a field of six finalists.

The poll proved a beetle quinella, with the cute-as-a-button tortoise-shelled ladybird (Harmonia testudinaria) snaring just under a quarter of the vote (11,069 votes, 24.9 per cent).

The mysterious Otway glow-worm (Arachnocampa otwayensis) was selected by 10.9 per cent of respondents (4,830 votes) to sneak onto the podium, just ahead of this year's plucky underdog, the stalk-eyed signal fly (Achias australis) with 10.1 per cent (4,508 votes).

Two spectacular butterflies: the Mallee bronze azure butterfly (Ogyris subterrestris) and orchard swallowtail butterfly (Papilio aegeus) secured 8 per cent (3,574) and 6.8 per cent (3,037) of the vote respectively.

This year's Australian Insect of the Year campaign received nominations from the CSIRO (Dr Keith Bayless), Australian Entomological Society (Dr Mark Schutze), Zoos Victoria (Jessie Sinclair), Gardening Australia magazine (AB Bishop) and nature author-photographer Peter Rowland.

However, it was Invertebrates Australia founder and director Kate Umbers who nominated the gold Christmas beetle as a finalist.

Dr Umbers says it is a timely victory as scientists try to unravel why there are fewer Christmas beetles seen than a few decades ago.

"We know that at least some of the Christmas beetle species are in trouble from a conservation point of view," Dr Umbers said. 

"Some [Christmas beetle] species haven't been seen in decades."

"This result tells us people do love them, they care about what's happening to them, and that gives us hope we can bring them back from the decline we suspect they're currently in.

"Our memories from childhood have the power to drive conservation today. 

"Being named [Australian Insect of the Year] gives me hope those childhood Christmas beetle memories will continue for many generations to come."

Lost beetles

The announcement of the 2026 Australian Insect of the Year coincides with several conservation programs, including Australian Pollinator Week (November 7-15) co-ordinated by the Wheen Bee Foundation, and Bugs in my Backyard week (November 16-22), a national citizen science campaign run by Invertebrates Australia and the Invasive Species Council.

Invertebrates Australia also conducts a conservation program dedicated to Australia's 35 Christmas beetle species.

"We're asking people to record any Christmas beetles they see around them all summer," Dr Umbers said.

"We are getting a fantastic data set now after five years of the Christmas beetle count. 

"We're really starting to understand the patterns coming through for Christmas beetles, including some which hadn't been seen for 20 or 30 years.

"Researchers can jump in and see if it's one of those Christmas beetles that haven't been seen in a long time."

Invertebrates Australia invites Australians to upload Christmas beetle sightings and photographs to the iNaturalist Australia website, an online network which can be accessed by scientists.

"It's really exciting we are getting such a rich data set," Dr Umbers said.

"This one allows us to do all kinds of important things like assess their conservation status and get conservation actions in place for the Christmas beetles that need it the most."

The ABC's Australian Insect of the Year was launched in 2024 to promote Australian native invertebrate conservation. 

That first online poll received 13,593 votes across six finalists, with the blue-banded bee (Amegilla cingulata) winning with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Last year 23,915 Australians voted in the second online campaign, with the graphic flutterer dragonfly (Rhyothemis graphiptera) taking out the award with just under 26 per cent of the total vote.

Veteran entomologist Ken Walker, who nominated last year's champion, said the response this year showed many Australians were beginning to appreciate the vital role insects played in our ecosystem.

"I feel people are beginning to see invertebrates as so much more than just 'creepy crawlies'," Dr Walker said.

"There is an innate fondness for cute, furry and cuddly. 

"Insects were not seen that way in the past, and that may now be changing."

Dr Walker said as views towards insects changed, it opened up the possibility for deeper conversation.

"That's the big thing; once you get past that, you can start to talk about conservation," he said.

"So much of conservation is driven by what people consider worthwhile."