Planning for City Nature Challenge 2026 has begun!
If you're interested in becoming a local organizer, visit the Organizer page for information, and subscribe to our email list to learn about upcoming meetings.
Started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities. Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal.
Join the City Nature Challenge!
2 parts
The
2026
CNC takes place in 2 parts
1
April 24 – April 27, 2026
Taking pictures of wild plants and animals.
2
April 28 – May 10, 2026
Identifying what was found.
Results will be announced on Wednesday May 13, 2026.
Taking part is easy
Find Wildlife
It can be any plant, animal, or any evidence of life found in your city.
Take picture
Take a picture of what you find. Be sure to note the location of the critter or plant.
Share!
Share your observations through iNaturalist or your city's chosen platform.