The Maine Apiary Program and the Maine State Beekeepers Association are excited to invite you to enter Maine’s 2026 Fat Queen Bee Photo Contest – a celebration of the most impressive honey bee queens in the State of Maine.
Submission Deadline: Saturday, August 15, 2026
Public Voting Begins: Monday, August 24, 2026 to Wednesday October 14, 2026 (4 rounds)
Winner Announcement: Saturday October 17, 2026 at the Maine State Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting
Contest Rules:
- The Maine Queen honey bee entered must reside or have resided in Maine when photo was taken
- The queen must have a name that is unrelated to the beekeeper/entrant
- The queen must be alive at the time the photo was taken (no dead queens please!)
- Entrants must bethe legal owner of the queen or have permission from the owner
- Limit one entry per beekeeper
Photo Rules:
- The entrant must own the photo. No stock imagery or photos taken from other sources.
- The photo must not be AI generated or digitally altered (no photoshopping please!)
- The photo must feature a clear view of a queen honey bee as the main subject with no identifiable people or identification information on hive parts
- Photo mustbe in JPEG or PNG format and have image quality suitable for judging
- Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. The Maine Apiary Program and Maine State Beekeepers Association retains the right to reproduce the winning photographs in publications, social media, website, promotions, or print materials.
To enter the contest: https://forms.gle/CkhujjyHq4k5qu2L7