The summer of 2020 was our very first Backyard Bug Challenge, and we were blown away by the submissions!
Below you’ll find the runners-up and winners for the different age groups: 6-9 years old, 10-13 years old, and 14+ years old.
Runners-Up! Ages 6-9
Audrey, age 9, made this great video about monarch butterflies. Did you know these bugs can migrate up to 3000 miles?!
Lewis, age 5, from Biloxi, Mississippi, taught us all about the praying mantis. Did you know some praying mantises look so much like flowers they can easily surprise their prey?!
Caleb (aka Professor Ant), age 8, from Washington State, taught us all about the Western thatch ant. He really wowed us with his visual demonstrations.
Yumi, age 7, from Illinois, gave us a ton of great information about monarch butterflies. She captured some her own footage of her caterpillar hatching from an egg, growing, forming a chrysalis, and hatching into a butterfly!
Not every finalist made a video. Karista, age 9, from Rome, New York wrote a very humorous caterpillar story.
Winners! Ages 6-9
Kayla Millard, age 6, teaches us a lot about monarch butterflies, especially how they are dying out in California. She gives great practical tips for how you can help. We loved her exuberance and clarity as she taught about the life cycle of butterflies. (You’ll also love the song at 1:34 🥴)
Clay, age 7, from Ohio, taught us about the praying mantis. Aside from Clay’s extra dose of personality, we loved his passion for exploring the world around him.
Runners-Up! Ages 10-13
Ethan, age 10, from Arizona, created this stop-motion movie about the life of a bee using LEGOS. We loved the care and detail he put into the movie!
Evangeline (age 14) and Kyrie (age 11), from Georgia wrote a very creative letter about fireflies. It’s a letter from Lionel Lightning Bug to the Scientific Insect Analysis Organization.
Winners! Age 10-13
Adalyn, age 11, blew us away with her presentation about grasshoppers. Her video is chalked full of quick, fun facts, and she presents the information with all the excitement of a budding YouTube superstar.
Gabriella, age 10, from Roeland Park, Kansas, created this animated film about ants. We loved the attention she put into the animation, as well as the fast facts about a number of different ant species.
Max from Stafford, Virginia, really wowed us with his Minecraft creation teaching us about honeybees. Max must have had a lot of fun coming up with each portion of this digital world—and we had a lot of listening to him narrate it.
Winner! Age 14+
Selah Sigmon, age 14, from Claremont, North Carolina, did a wonderful job teaching us about woolly bears. She put a lot of work into her research and presents her information in a clear, easy-to-follow presentation.