The National Ugly Bug Contest 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.