PICAYUNE, Miss. -- Photographers from Mississippi and across the globe can display their talent in a photo competition that introduces Bugfest 2025 – BeetleMania!

The competition kicks off The Crosby Arboretum’s 23rd annual September celebration of insects and arthropods and their ecological value. This year’s fest will highlight beetles. The beetle group has more than 400,000 different documented species, making it the most diverse insect order in the world.

The contest will highlight arthropods. Photo subjects should be arthropods, which are lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes and millipedes.

Registration for the photo competition opens June 13 at 9 a.m. and closes Sept. 5 at 11 p.m. Central Standard Time. Contest entry is free and open to all ages. Participants can enter one of the following categories:

Youth: ages 17 and under

Beginners: ages 18 and over

Advanced: ages 18 and over

Awards for first, second and third places will be given in each category. One grand prize will be given to the top photo of a beetle. Professional photographers Robert Smith of Wildlife Mississippi and Donna Bush of Slidell Magazine will be the judges.

Winners will be notified on Sept. 17 and are encouraged to attend Bugfest 2025 – BeetleMania! on Sept. 20 to accept their award. Each winner in these categories will have their photo printed, mounted and displayed in the Arboretum’s photo gallery from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, 2026.

Photographers can submit up to three photos at once or at different times. Photo entries must include the time and place they were taken and a brief statement of 300 characters or less that includes interesting facts about the photo subject and why it appealed to the photographer. Do not include signatures, watermarks or names on entries. Photos must be entered in JPEG format and be a minimum of 2,000 pixels by 4,000 pixels, but larger images are acceptable.

For a full list of contest rules and to register, visit http://msuext.ms/25bugfest.

Employees of The Crosby Arboretum and Wildlife Mississippi and members of The Crosby Arboretum Foundation Board are prohibited from entering.

MSU is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation or other information, contact Barb Medlock at 601-799-2311, ext. 0.