Guardian Opens Public Vote to Choose 2026 Invertebrate of the Year

The Guardian has shortlisted ten reader-nominated invertebrates and opened a public vote for 2026's winner.

After two weeks of profiling reader-nominated creatures, The Guardian has opened voting for its 2026 Invertebrate of the Year. The ten shortlisted invertebrates were originally nominated by readers, and the outlet has since published individual profiles of each contender to introduce them to a wider audience. Voting is now open to the public, with readers invited to choose their favourite from the final ten. The competition appears to be an annual feature celebrating underappreciated members of the animal kingdom.

Why it matters

Initiatives like this draw public attention to invertebrates, which make up the vast majority of animal species but often receive less conservation focus than vertebrates.

What's next

A winner will be announced once the public vote closes.

Key facts

• Ten invertebrates were shortlisted from reader nominations
• The Guardian profiled each of the ten contenders over a two-week period
• Public voting is now open for the 2026 Invertebrate of the Year
• The shortlist was built from nominations submitted by Guardian readers

Bias & framing notes

Both sources are from the same outlet, The Guardian, providing no independent corroboration. The two articles represent different stages of the same campaign — one announcing the vote, one revealing the shortlist — so there is no meaningful factual disagreement, but also no external perspective.

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