A few months ago, our School of Ants team challenged students of myrmecology (translation: the study of ants) to write essays about the coolest things they’ve seen, read or studied about ants. The goal? Inspire the next generation of kids to look more closely at ants, to understand them and appreciate the richness of life around us.

Image credit: Carly Tribull

And WOW! We received a huge number of submissions from an impressive bunch of writers, artists, dreamers, ant enthusiasts, and of course scientists!

We’ll be sharing these essays and artwork over the coming weeks – But today we’re psyched to share the Grand Prize Winner! Carly Tribull, a PhD student at the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History, really thought outside of the box with her submission. She combined her dual passions for Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) and drawing to create an outstanding graphic novella about FIRE ANTS.

Well done, Carly – Read and enjoy the whole novella!