Invent an Insect competition!

Are you under 13 years old? Do you love drawing and colouring? Do you think you could invent your very own insect? If so, then Buglife and National Insect Week have the perfect competition for you!

It's National Insect Week! Buglife and National Insect Week are inviting you to take part in our fantastic competition to Invent an Insect. We want you to draw it, colour or decorate it, tell us a bit about your insect, and send it in to us.

The prizes

Some of the fantastic prizes on offer!

There will be 3 categories: under 5’s, 5-8 year olds, and 9-12 year olds

Under 5’s
1st prize – Insect sticker book, bug T-shirt, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters
Runner-up – Bug T-shirt, bug stationery set, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters

5-8 year olds
1st prize – Breed your own butterflies kit, bug T-shirt, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters
Runner-up – Bug T-shirt, bug stationery set, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters

9-12 year olds
1st prize – Breed your own ladybirds kit, bug T-shirt, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters
Runner-up – Bug T-shirt, bug stationery set, chocolate ladybirds, set of bug posters

Seven-spot ladybird © Jon Mold

How to take part

Download and print the entry form - it is 2 pages long. Click here to download it! (if you can print it double-sided onto one sheet of paper you will help save paper. If you print 2 sheets please make sure you staple these together)
Invent an insect! (it must have 6 legs - apart from that, let your imagination run wild!) – draw it and colour it in or decorate it
Fill in your answers to the questions about your insect
Fill out the ‘My Details’ section (or ask a parent/guardian to)
Ask a parent/guardian to sign the ‘Parental Consent’ section
Send your form to: Buglife, Invent an Insect competition, 170A Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2UF to arrive by 5pm Friday 11th July

Winners will be notified by the end of July 2008

Pill Millipede © Roger Key

Please note:

We do ask you for your full name, age and address but we will only use this to send you your prize if you happen to be the lucky winner, or to display your name, town and age on the Buglife website (or in publications) if we decide to show your picture.

Only Buglife has access to your personal details and we will not pass them on to anyone else.

Please click here for the full competition rules

Honey bee © www.phocus-on.co.uk

Thank you for donating prizes!

Thank you to Boden who have kindly donated fantastic bug T-shirts from their range, and Wild about Nature who have given some great bug products as prizes

What is an insect?

An insect is an invertebrate - an animal without a backbone

Unlike us who have our bones on the inside, an insect has its skeleton on the outside of its body - it's called an exo-skeleton

Insects have six legs

Most insects have wings

Insects have three body parts - a head, a thorax (the middle bit), and an abdomen (the end bit)

Insects have two antennae and two eyes on their heads to sense the world around them

There are more types of insects than any other type of animal on the planet, these include: beetles, bees, butterflies and moths, bugs, grasshoppers and crickets, dragonflies, wasps, ants, and flies

Other invertebrates which are NOT insects include: spiders, woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, crabs and lobsters

Which one is not an insect?

All of the bug photos on this page are of insects, except one! Can you tell which one it is? (look below to check your answer!)

Meadow grasshopper
© Greg Hitchcock

Useful links

Bug activities
Free downloadable resources - classroom activities, colouring sheets and a bug wordsearch!: Bug Activities

Need an introduction to invertebrates?
In this section we take great pleasure in introducing you to the weird and wonderful world of bugs: Discover bugs

Life in the Undergrowth
A section packed with fascinating facts and strange details about bugs. Inspired by the BBC's Life In The Undergrowth series featuring David Attenborough: Life in the Undergrowth

Top tips for wildlife gardening
Find out about the small steps your school can take that will make a big difference to bugs: Top tips for wildlife gardening

Become a Bug Buddy!
'Bugbuddies' is a publication we send to our members. Although aimed at older children (aged 12 years +) and young people, it provides a good general introduction to bugs for anyone. You can carry out some activities featured in Bugbuddies here: Bugbuddies

Find out about studying bugs
Tips and advice to get you and your school started studying bugs: Study bugs

Test your bug knowledge
A fun online quiz where you can test your own bug knowledge: Bug Quiz

BBC Breathing Places Schools - click here

Did you spot it? Yes - the non-insect on this page is the Pill millipede!