{"id":457,"date":"2026-07-27T06:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uglybugcontest.org\/?page_id=457"},"modified":"2026-08-04T11:29:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:29:39","slug":"national-ugly-bug-contest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uglybugcontest.org\/","title":{"rendered":"National Ugly Bug Contest-updated"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Sponsored by the Microscopy Society of America<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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Discover the hidden beauty of bugs through<\/strong>
Scanning Electron Microscope<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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ABOUT THE CONTEST<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n
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The National Ugly Bug Contest<\/strong> is a hands-on STEM outreach program that introduces elementary students to microscopy, biodiversity, and scientific discovery. Students collect and research insects, select a bug to represent their school, and submit it for high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Regional contests organized by participating Local Affiliated Societies bring students, educators, microscopy professionals, and community partners together, with regional winners advancing to a national public vote. By revealing the extraordinary structures hidden in everyday insects, the contest inspires curiosity, scientific observation, and early engagement with microscopy and the life sciences.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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