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CONTESTS
This year’s Hillsborough Moth Crawl features two exciting contests. Prospective contestants may enter only one competition. Please choose wisely! The iNaturalist Contest encourages citizen science through iNaturalist, with participants competing for Most Observations, Most Moth Species, and Most Not-Moth Species, and winners choosing from three moth-tastic prize packages. New for 2026, The Grand Moth’er Challenge utilizes iNaturalist in a new way, raising the stakes with a series of creative challenges designed to test your mothing skills and luck. Those who succeed will earn the title of Grand Moth’er and a special prize package.
2026 iNATURALIST CONTEST
The iNaturalist Contest is designed for anyone eager to take part in citizen science, whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or just getting started. Through iNaturalist, your observations become part of a growing shared dataset—one that has already proven remarkable. Last year alone, participants recorded over 3,000 observations and documented 578 species from just 44 observers. It’s an extraordinary collective effort, and to recognize it, we offer some seriously mothy prize packages worthy of Mothman’s approval.
Prize Eligibility & Submission Guidelines
To participate, entrants must join the Hillsborough Moth Crawl 2026 project on iNaturalist. Only observations submitted through this project will be considered.
Only REGISTERED attendees of the Hillsborough Moth Crawl event are eligible to win prizes.
Each participant may win only one prize. If someone qualifies in multiple categories, they will receive the prize for the highest-ranking category, and the runner-up(s) will be awarded.
Eligible observations must:
- Feature insects or spiders
- Be taken at a designated host location
- Be captured during official event hours
All submissions must be uploaded to iNaturalist by June 13, 2026 to qualify.
Photography Guidelines
- No professional equipment required! Phone cameras are perfectly suitable for most moths.
For very small (micro) moths, we recommend using a clip-on macro lens for clearer images. - We strongly recommend cropping your photos to highlight the insect or spider clearly. Clear, well-lit, and focused images, especially those that are tightly cropped, help iNaturalist’s AI make better preliminary identifications. Since contest winners are determined by the number of different species observed, improving identification accuracy gives you a better chance to win!
- Accurate species identification is not required. iNaturalist’s preliminary AI suggestions are sufficient. Your observation will still count even if the exact species isn’t designated Research Grade
Winner Notification
- Winners will be contacted through either their iNaturalist account, or by the email account used to register.
- Winners must respond within 5 calendar days to confirm acceptance and provide a mailing address.
- Winners will be announced publicly through the media channels of Backyard Butterflies and the NC Moth Project.
Additional Terms
All prizes are subject to availability and may be substituted with a comparable item if necessary.
CONTEST CATEGORIES
Total number of insect and spider species seen during the Moth Crawl at official locations. Last year the winner of this category submitted 342 observations. With over 10 collecting sheets it should be easy to have over 200 observations!
For 2026 we’re amping up this category! The winner must have a species to observation ratio of 0.15 or greater!
Total number of moth species seen during the Moth Crawl at official locations. Last year’s winner won with over 82 species.
Total number of insect and spider species – MINUS MOTHS – seen during the Moth Crawl at official locations. An impressive 73 species of “not moths” was enough to win this category last year!
CONTEST PRIZES
There are three prize packages, and they are not assigned to specific contest categories. Each winner, regardless of which category they win, will choose one prize package from the same set of three. That means every winner picks from the full lineup. The prize packages are not “claimed” or removed once selected.
Prize Package L
FOR light & power
This prize package contains:
• 1 Entoquip Mini USB Light
• 1 Portable Charger 50800mAh Power Bank
• Commemorative T-shirt featuring your achievement in the Moth Crawl
Prize Package M
for mothman
This prize package contains:
• 1 Adult sized Mothman onsie
• 1 Squishable Mini Midnight Mothman Plushie
• Commemorative T-shirt featuring your achievement in the Moth Crawl
Prize Package P
for plushie
For this prize package you may choose up to (3) three plush moths from the following options:
• Rosy Maple Moth
• Cecropia Moth
• Emerald Moth
• Polyphemus Moth
• Giant Leopard Moth
• Commemorative T-shirt featuring your achievement in the Moth Crawl
HALL OF FAME
2024 Winners
2025 Winners
2026 Winners
2024 Winners
2025 Winners
2026 Winners
2026 Winners will be posted here!
2026 Grand Moth'er Challenge
The Grand Moth’er Challenge grew out of last year’s iNaturalist Contest, which quickly took on a life of its own. It became clear that the Moth Crawlers were ready to turn the dial up and push their skills further, testing just how far observation, speed, and focus could go in a single night. This new challenge was created to see if anyone is truly worthy of the title and prize package of a Grand Moth’er.
Official Rules, Eligibility, and Submission Guidelines
The Grand Moth’er Challenge is an individual, high-level field competition held during the Hillsborough Moth Crawl. Participants have 3.5 hours to complete a series of biodiversity-based challenges designed to test observation skill, efficiency, and attention to detail. The participant who successfully completes all requirements will earn the official title of The Grand Moth’er and receive a prize package worthy of the achievement!
Eligibility Requirements
Participants must be associated with a registered vehicle for the Hillsborough Moth Crawl 2026, though they do not need to be the individual who completed the registration. Participants must also purchase a separate Grand Moth’er Challenge entry ticket and provide a valid iNaturalist username at the time of registration. After payment is confirmed, organizers will manually add participants to the official Grand Moth’er Challenge iNaturalist project. Participants cannot join this project independently.
This challenge is limited to individuals only. No teams, partnerships, or collaborative entries are allowed. It is intended for hobbyists and amateurs, with the goal of encouraging the development of field observation and mothing skills. Organizers reserve the right to determine eligibility where professional status may apply.
How to Enter
Purchase a Grand Moth’er Challenge entry ticket ($5 plus processing fees). Provide your iNaturalist username during registration. Usernames must be accurate, as incorrect or missing information may delay or prevent entry.
After payment is confirmed, you will be manually added to the official iNaturalist project. Nothing prevents you from joining the project on iNaturalist, however, only participants added by organizers are eligible to compete.
Event Timing and Location Requirements
The challenge takes place during official Moth Crawl hours: 8:00 PM to 11:30 PM. All photos must be taken within this window. If weather or safety conditions require early closure, the official end time will be announced via email and social media, and photos timestamped after that time will not qualify.
There’s nothing stopping you from scouting ahead for certain challenges, but all photos used must be taken during event hours.
Participants must visit all three designated host locations and record a minimum of 20 qualifying observations at each.
Observation and Submission Requirements
To qualify, all submissions must:
- Be uploaded to iNaturalist by June 13, 2026
- Be taken at a designated host location during official event hours
- Feature insects or spiders, except where otherwise specified in challenge categories
- Be clearly photographed, cropped, and focused for verification
Accurate species-level identification is not required for general observations. iNaturalist AI suggestions are acceptable unless otherwise specified in a challenge category.
Photography Guidelines
No professional equipment is required. Phone cameras are sufficient for most observations, though a clip-on macro lens is recommended for very small species. Photos should be tightly cropped around the subject and clear, well-lit, and in focus. Better images improve identification accuracy, your competitiveness, and the quality of your contribution to citizen science.
Prize and Tie-Breaker
The Grand Moth’er Challenge awards a single top honor: one LepiLED mini light with a 60,000 mAh battery bank. If two or more participants complete all challenges, a tie-breaker will be applied in the following order:
- Highest total number of unique moth species observed
- Highest observation-to-species ratio
- Highest total number of non-moth observations
- Final determination by event organizers, which may include expert review of observation quality, identification accuracy, and overall execution
Observation Verification and Identification Standards
Research Grade observations are not required, and iNaturalist AI suggestions may be used for most observations. However, certain challenges will require correct identification and will be clearly specified. Participants may need to override AI suggestions for those categories.
Event organizers reserve the right to review all submissions, make final determinations regarding identification and eligibility, and disqualify observations that cannot be reasonably verified.
Species Verification and Duplicate Determination
Species determinations will be based on what can be reasonably verified from submitted images. All species must be distinguishable by visible characteristics in submitted photographs.
Some moth groups contain multiple species that require dissection or microscopic examination for species-level identification. Because dissection is not required or performed in this event, these observations may only be identifiable to the genus level and will be counted as such rather than as confirmed species.
Participants who wish to pursue a specimen dissection for positive identification may seek vetting through such resources as the Moths of North Carolina (MONC) website and must inform organizers of results by June 25, 2026.
Worn or Damaged Specimens
Some moths may be too worn or damaged for confident identification. In these cases, the default iNaturalist suggestion will be accepted for scoring, though this may mean the species may not be correctly identified. Participants may seek independent vetting through such resources as MONC for any moth they believe has been misidentified, with all vetting submitted by June 25, 2026. If official vetting is obtained, that determination may be used in place of the default. Final decisions regarding worn specimens remain at the discretion of event organizers.
When significant doubt exists, organizers may consult experienced identifiers or subject-matter experts before a final determination is made.
Winner Notification
Winners will be contacted via their iNaturalist account or the email used during registration, and must respond within 5 calendar days to confirm acceptance and provide a mailing address. Winners will be announced publicly on June 30, 2026, through Backyard Butterflies and the NC Moth Project media channels.
Additional Terms
All prizes are subject to availability and may be substituted with comparable items if necessary. By participating, entrants agree to abide by all rules and decisions made by event organizers, who reserve the right to verify all submissions and enforce all rules.
EXCLUSIVE LEAF MINER WORKSHOP
We included a challenge of leaf miners and then realized, why not offer some help by conducting an exclusive-to-Moth Crawlers workshop? Local expert Tracy Feldman thankfully agreed to do it! We realize the timing of the workshop is when most people are at work, but we hope some of you who are interested in learning about leaf miners will join us!
Offered as both a resource for the Grand Moth’er Challenge and an invitation for all Moth Crawlers to look closer, this workshop explores leaf miners as one of the most fascinating,and often overlooked, aspects of our beloved MOTHS!
Title: Who’s Been Drawing on the Leaves? An Introduction to Leaf Miners
Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
Time: 9 am — Noon
Instructor: Tracy Feldman
Location: Durant Nature Preserve
Limit: 15 people
Ever notice those squiggly lines on leaves, as if something has been drawing or writing across the surface? It’s enough to make you wonder: who’s responsible? A sentient cryptid? An extra-terrestrial Banksy? The reality is just as fascinating!
Imagine starting your life in the ultimate living escape room: you’re a microscopic caterpillar inside of a leaf, where the only way out is to eat your way through! As these tiny caterpillars tunnel through plant tissue, they leave behind the intricate patterns we see — and often a trail of frass!
Join local expert Tracy Feldman for an engaging introduction to leaf miners, including both moth and fly species, along with a bonus look at wasp galls. The workshop begins with a short indoor session covering what these organisms are, how they live, and how to recognize their signs. Then we’ll head outside to find leaf mines and galls in the field and practice observing them up close.
Tracy S. Feldman is an ecologist and educator originally from the Northeastern United States, with a lifelong interest in natural history. He began studying leaf-mining insects in 2015 and has worked with Charley Eiseman and others to document new host records, new state records, and new species of leaf miners. He spent approximately 14 years as a college biology professor and has worked since 2023 as an environmental educator and Assistant Manager of Durant and Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserves with the City of Raleigh. He enjoys sharing the wonders of nature with anyone who is curious to learn more.
Use this LINK to be directed to the registration page. You do not need to register for The Hillsborough Moth Crawl or purchase an entry to the Grand Moth’er Challenges in order to register for the free workshop.
GRAND MOTH'ER CHALLENGES
The Grand Moth’er Challenge is structured in three parts, each designed to test a different aspect of field observation. Together, these challenges move from foundational benchmarks to targeted discovery, requiring both efficiency and careful attention to biodiversity.
This portion of the challenge serves as the baseline. These benchmarks are carried over from the Hillsborough Moth Crawl iNaturalist Contest and represent the foundational level of participation.
To be considered for the title of The Grand Moth’er, participants are expected to meet and surpass these benchmarks as part of their overall performance:
- Total observations: 300 or greater
- Observation-to-species ratio: 0.15 or greater
- Total moth species: 80 or greater
- Total non-moth observations: greater than 70
All species must be unique across all categories. No duplicates allowed.
- 5 unique MOTH host plants — Photos of leaves only • Must be correctly identified • Must indicate the moth specie(s) associated with the host
- 5 unique leaf miners — No fly larvae • No duplicates from the 5 unique host plants
- 5 unique moth caterpillars — No leaf miner larvae
- 5 unique micro moths — Wingspan under 20 mm
- 5 unique macro moths — Wingspan over 20 mm • All 5 must be correctly identified
All species must be unique.
- 5 unique beetle species
- 5 unique wasp species
- 5 unique treehopper or leafhopper species
- 3 unique lacewing species
- 3 unique mayfly species
- 3 unique caddisfly species
- 1 dobsonfly (male or female)
- 1 dragonfly
- 1 orthopteran (Crickets, grasshoppers, katydids)
- 1 plecopteran (Stoneflies)
- 1 mantidfly
Labeling Your Observations in iNaturalist
For challenges that require specific observations to be counted, you must label those submissions using the Notes field in iNaturalist. This applies whether you are using the phone app or the desktop version. The Notes field is how judges will identify which observations you intend to submit for each challenge requirement.
Not all observations need to be labeled. iNaturalist automatically tallies the following stats for the project:
- Total Observations
- Total Moth Species
- Total Non-Moth Species
These counts, along with your Species-to-Observation ratio, will be calculated from your submissions to this project only, not your full iNaturalist account. The ratio matters because repeatedly photographing a small number of species inflates observation counts without reflecting true species diversity. We want to encourage you to seek out new species!
For all other challenge categories, use the Notes field to label each observation clearly. Examples are provided below.
Micro Moths
Label each micro moth submission in the Notes field as follows:
- Micro Moth 1 of 5
- Micro Moth 2 of 5
- Micro Moth 3 of 5 (and so on)
Host Plants
First, make sure the plant is correctly identified. If iNaturalist’s AI suggestion is not accurate, select the correct species before submitting. Then, in the Notes field, list the moth species associated with that host plant.
For plants that host multiple species, list a minimum of three. For plants that host only one species, list that one. Format your entry as follows:
- Host Plant 1 of 5
- Species: Virginia Creeper Sphinx, Grape Leaffolder Moth, Pandorus Sphinx
(The example above is for Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which hosts multiple species.)
This same labeling approach applies to any other challenge category that requires specific observations to be counted toward a requirement.
If you are unsure how to add notes to an observation or have any questions about labeling, we are happy to walk you through it!
Submission Deadline
All observations must be submitted to iNaturalist by 11:59 PM on June 13, 2026. This is also the cutoff for any edits to your submissions. Up until that deadline, you are welcome to make changes to your observations, such as correcting identifications or adding notes. After June 13 at 11:59 PM, no further modifications to judged submissions will be accepted.
Use this LINK to purchase an entry to The Grand Moth’er Challenge. You will need to register for The Hillsborough Moth Crawl or be under someone’s registration in order to enter the Challenges.
GRAND MOTH'ER PRIZE PACKAGE
The Grand Moth’er Prize Package contains items worthy of the highest honor. Whoever meets the challenges is truly a Grand Moth’er, deserving of top-tier mothing equipment and a commemorative T-shirt celebrating their achievement.
Prize Package GM
for grand moth’er
This prize package contains:
- (1) LepiLED Mini light
- 60,000 mAH battery bank
- Commemorative T-shirt featuring your achievement in the Moth Crawl