Join us from Friday, 24 July (7pm) to Sunday, 26 July (7pm) for our first ever BioBlitz.
What is BioBlitz?
Our Environment and Sustainability Group and the OU's Environmental Sustainability Society (OUESS) have joined up to organise our very own BioBlitz. A BioBlitz is a 'citizen science event' that aims to explore the biodiversity of a particular area. As the Open University is a distance learning institute, we will be collecting data from all over the UK and further afield! We will also be gathering data from the campus and seeing what we can find there. Plus, submitting the most observations during the BioBlitz gives you the chance to win a £100 voucher ... read on for details of how to enter.
What will I be doing?
During the BioBlitz, we are encouraging students (and their friends/families) to look at the diversity of nature in their local areas.
This is a family-friendly event so if you have children, get them involved! Joining our BioBlitz is an opportunity to reconnect with nature and engage with other OU students too.
How do I take part in the Open SU and OUESS BioBlitz?
We will be logging all results to iNaturalist, a not-for-profit organisation based in America. It's a community app which will allow scientists to see the data we collect.
Step-by-step instructions:
-
Download iNaturalist on your phone (App store or Play store). Please note that under-13s need parental approval to create their own iNaturalist account. Children can join the fun without an account by using the Seek app, which uses AI to suggest identifications. To count towards the BioBlitz, Seek needs to be connected to an iNaturalist account signed up for the project - this should still work even if you log out of iNaturalist on the device the child is using, after connecting the account.
-
Join our event on iNaturalist or open the iNaturalist app, press 'menu', 'projects' and search 'Open SU summer 2026 BioBlitz', with the dates '24 July to 26 July 2026'.
-
Take a photo of any wild organism, or evidence of its presence (such as tracks or droppings). You can also upload sound recordings of animal calls!
-
Upload to iNaturalist.
-
The software will suggest an ID and experts will verify this. To chat with OU students at the OU about your observations, come to one of our drop-ins over the weekend.
-
Read iNaturalist’s instructions for more information. You can choose to obscure your location settings in iNaturalist for privacy. Here are the instructions on how to do this.
-
Take a screenshot of how many uploads you make during the weekend and email oustudents-projects@open.ac.uk to enter the competition.
How can I meet other students?
There will be three Open SU / OU Environmental and Sustainability Society (OUESS) collaborative online events across the BioBlitz weekend. Students can attend the first one to chat and find out how to get involved (but there’s nothing to stop you finding out things earlier!), the next event offers a chance to share any observations you’ve made on iNaturalist, and the last one will wrap up the BioBlitz and will be an opportunity to see what everyone has found.
Event details
BioBlitz drop-in to chat about your identifications and meet other OU students
Saturday, 25 July
2pm–3pm
This is a chance to chat about your identifications and meet other OU students. The session will be hosted by OUESS members.
BioBlitz drop-in to chat about your identifications and meet other OU students
Sunday, 26 July
10am–11am
Another chance to chat about your identifications and meet other OU students.
Open SU BioBlitz closing event: tell us how you did and meet other nature-enthusiasts
Sunday, 26 July
7pm–8pm
Come and tell us how you've done (and meet other nature-enthusiasts).
What can I win in the competition and how does it work?
To take part in this free competition, entrants must email oustudents-projects@open.ac.uk with a screenshot(s) of your observations (these can be found in the iNaturalist app, in the 'Me' tab) taken between the hours of Friday, 24 July (7pm) to Sunday, 26 July (7pm). The student with the most observations within this time will win the competition and be sent a £100 She Grows Veg voucher to stock up on supplies for the garden!
Take a look at our BioBlitz 2026 competition terms and conditions