Upcoming Annual Meeting

Villas by the Sea Resort
Jekyll Island, GA

April 8-10, 2026

The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Georgia Entomological Society will be held on April 8-10, 2026 at Villas by the Sea in Jekyll Island, GA. Plan your arrival for the evening of April 8, 2026, and departure at noon on April 10.

Villas by the Sea is now accepting reservations. Reservation deadline to receive the contracted group rates is March 10, 2026.

Make your hotel reservation online or call 912-635-4230 and mention “GES Conference” for group rates. Please make your reservation directly with Villas by the Sea so it will count toward the GES room block. Tax Exemption Documentation is due at check-in.

Date to submit papers and posters will be announced soon. Please don’t wait until the last minute!

NOTE: There is a limit of one presentation per person. You may, however, be a co-author on multiple submissions.

Paper (PowerPoint) and Poster Presentation Guidelines

Submitted papers should be 8 minutes, with an additional 2 minutes for questions (10 minutes total). A computer and projector will be available for oral presentations. Apurba Barman is the Local Arrangements Chair; he is also handling the visual aids at the meeting.

Posters should be a maximum of 36” wide by 48” high, to fit on the poster boards. Posters should be easily read from a distance of 6’ (print should not be smaller than 24 font; 28+ font is preferred).

Student Competition Categories

• GES Best oral presentation by PhD Student (C. M. Beckham Award)
• GES Best oral presentation by BS or MS Student (T. L. Bissell Award)
• GES Best poster submission by a Student (U. E. Brady Award)
• GES Best oral presentation by a Regular Member (O. I. Snapp Award)

NOTE: Students of both societies will present in joint sessions, but will be judged by their home society.

The Insect Photo Salon competition will be held on Thursday, April 9. For more information or to submit your entry, email Lisa Ames. Deadline for submission is March 7, 2026.

Categories

• Portrait – close-up photo of a living insect
• Biology – photo that ‘tells a story’ of how insects live and/or die
• Sequence – 3-5 photos describing insect biology
• Microscopic – photo of living insect, non-living insect or insect material

NOTE: Four photos will be chosen from the total pool of photos to appear on the cover of the Journal of Entomological Science. Photos need not win a category to be chosen for a cover.

Digital Image Requirements

Digital images submitted for cover photos must be saved and submitted as TIF files or high quality JPEG files. For cover consideration, photos should be at least 1 MB in file size (preferably larger—the more detailed the better), but still feature the insect prominently without an abundance of extraneous background.

Only photographs with a horizontal format will be accepted (this limitation is based on the format for the journal cover). Limit of 2 individual photos per category and one sequence per participant.

Submission of Images

Digital submissions should be submitted by email to Lisa Ames or if too large, send on a CD using regular mail. Make sure each file is named with the file name as “Category-photo name-last name of photographer” (for example, “Portrait-honey-bee-Ames.tif” or “Microscopic-aphid-Ames.jpeg”)

Each image, whether sent via email or regular mail, should include the name of photographer, category you wish to enter, file name, photo title, and brief description.

Slide submissions will be turned into digital files for judging.

Send all non-digital entries and digital CD entries to: Lisa Ames, Department of Entomology, Griffin Experiment Station, 1109 Experiment St., Griffin, GA 30223

Judging Criteria

Criteria for judging are excellence in photographic technique, aesthetic appeal, engaging use of subject, and scientific accuracy.

• Organization (20 points)-sequence of topics logical and effective; introduction, body of talk
• Delivery (20 points)-poise, audibility, expression, eye contact, use of pointer
• Visual Aids (20 points)-appropriate for subject matter, legible, eye appealing
• Subject Matter (30 points)-important questions addressed, appropriate methods
• Handling of Questions (10 points)-questions made clear to audience; answers logical and appropriate
• Conformation to time constraints (maximum 8 point penalty)-deduct 1 point for each 15 seconds overtime or each 30 seconds under time limit

GES Scholarship Applications

Send your application packet to Ash Sial by March 7, 2026.

• View details on GES scholarships

Fishing Tournament – April 9, 2025

The fishing competition will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Contact ‘legendary tall tale fisherman’ Will Hudson for more details.

Fishing licenses are required to fish in Georgia State Parks. Call 1-800-366-2661 or visit the Georgia Wildlife website for more information.