Great North American FungiQuest

Great North American FungiQuest

THANK YOU! The 2022 GNA FungiQuest has wrapped up, and we’re in the process of compiling the (just under) 150,000 observations. More information to come on all this data as well as the 2023 edition. Join our community to stay engaged!

Help us document all fungi species across North America in the Great North American FungiQuest!  

Between September 15 and October 15, 2022, we’re conducting an Observation Event (BioBlitz) to get out and discover, photograph, and identify all fungi and friends, including mushrooms, slime molds and lichen. FungiQuest is the largest Fungi BioBlitz in North America!

Jump Quick to a Section:

  1. What is the Great North American FungiQuest?
  2. Registration and getting started
  3. What are we looking for?
  4. Where should I be looking?
  5. Photographing Tips
  6. FungiQuest Community
  7. FungiQuest Prizes
  8. Contest Rules

What is the Great North American FungiQuest?

The Great North American FungiQuest is a month long event, held annually, with the goal to observe as many fungi, slime molds and lichen as possible, throughout the full 23 countries that make up North America (including Central American and Caribbean nations). We’re hoping to record 50,000 observations in this one month alone.

The world of fungi is still quite unknown and understudied. Observations captured help us understand which fungi are found where across our continent, which is the first step in understanding our fungal landscape.

Update: On Day 8 we hit 50,000 observations! Thanks to all of you! While this is already a massive achievement, let’s keep pushing! Our new goal will be 150,000 observations. We believe this can be achieved, we believe in you!

How do I participate?

Anyone can participate and it’s really easy to do so.

Participants take up to 4 photos of the species and upload the photos to one of the following observation platforms: NatureSpots, MushroomObserver, iNaturalist, QuestaGame, Observation.org, or CitSci.org.

Be sure to include your location marker when you upload the observation. That’s it! By uploading your photos you have now contributed to Citizen Science. Congratulations Citizen Scientist!

Looking for some added incentive? We’ve got Prizes!

Thanks to our wonderful partners, we are excited to offer numerous prize packages. There are prizes being awarded in three areas:

1) QuestaGame Observations

QuestaGame, a peer-reviewed and ranked observation platform, will be offering prizes in four categories:

  • Most Valuable Player Award: Combined score for spotting and correct IDs
  • Champion Identifier: Highest score from correct IDs provided by an individual
  • Champion Spotter: Highest score from verified sightings provided by an individual
  • Best Find: Highest scoring individual sighting

Please note that QuestaGame is unable to rank observations posted to other platforms, so this is limited to QuestaGame observations.

2) Online Mushroom Hunt 

Locate mushrooms sprawled across the websites of all FungiQuest partner organizations, and add the associated code to your form submission. Weekly prize draw will be made of  those who have found all mushrooms. Five prize lots to be awarded! Who are the FungiQuest Partners? Click their logos to surf their sites and find the hidden mushrooms!

3) Social Media Give-aways

Think Fungi will be promoting FungiQuest across social media with a weekly prize giveaway! Be sure to follow Think Fungi on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to ensure you don’t miss the contest! Simply follow, tag and comments for your chance to win incredible prizes packages!

Registration and getting started

There is no registration required to take part in the Great North American FungiQuest, nor is there a cost. In order to get started, create an account on one of the following observation apps or sites:

Now that you are registered to one of the above platforms, it’s time to head out into the world and locate some fungi and friends.

What are we looking for?

The most well known fungi are mushrooms. Their magnificent shapes and colours, their lifestyles, growth habits, spore dispersal and short window of existence are all aspects that have grabbed the attention of so many. While mushrooms are fantastic components of fungi, fungi make up so much more than just mushrooms. By current estimates, we have approximately 3,000,000 species of fungi on Earth, and only approximately 20,000 have mushroom fruitbodies.

That said, taking photographs of all 1,500+ species of yeast may not be easy, so for now, we do recommend you take pictures of all mushrooms and any other ‘fungi friends’.

Friends of Fungi: There are a number of organisms in nature which often fall into the realm of ‘fungi’, but are not strictly fungi species. Often, when Citizen Science projects conduct work on fungi, the friends of fungi are looped in. This is primarily done because those friends of fungi are often just as neglected as fungi.

The two main sorts of friends are lichen and slime molds, both of which can come in all sorts of interesting colours, shapes and patterns.

Where should I be looking?

Fungi and friends aren’t just found in thick forests. Step out your front door, and you’ll be able to find species absolutely everywhere; from your garden, to the school park, to the woodlands and wetlands on the outskirts of town.

Your chances of successfully finding a species grows as you enter a more natural environment, but you’ll find all sorts of fungi and friends in urban, suburban and rural areas, as well as next to roads, ponds, lakes, rivers, and creeks.

Some species will be found up in a tree, while others grow from the ground. Keep your head on a swivel wherever you go, and always keep your phone handy.

Photographing for FungiQuest

It could be argued that the best photographing of a species is with as many photos as possible, as they are likely to capture different angles and information about the species. That being said, you actually only need 4 photos – maximum. Some species require all 4, while others definitely do not.

Before we get into the list of photo types, a few tips:

  • Be sure that you’re not taking photos in black and white or some other filter. While a filtered photo may look better on social media, it can have a big impact on the analysis of a species.
  • The photos also need to be high quality. Most cellphones released in the last ten years will be equipped with a camera that has suitable photo quality with the adequate pixilation.
  • Move any obstacles or debris which prevents you from photographing the species in it’s entirety. This may not always be possible, and you’ll want to take your ‘habitat photo’ before you move any debris.

Types of Photos

Habitat Photo: The first photo you’ll want to take is the one displaying the mushroom in it’s natural environment. This will give us plenty of information on the environmental conditions of the species. The species needs to be visible in the photo, but does not need to be so obvious. The purpose is to know what else is around the species being photographed.

Photo from the top: Whether it’s a mushrooms cap, or a slime mold, a photograph displaying the top of the species is a critical photo to have in order to identify a species.

Photo from the side: Most species will provide further identifiable information through a side view. This could tell us about a ring on the mushroom stem, or give us an idea on height. Feel free to line up a ruler next to the mushroom to photograph the mushroom with height representation.

Photo from the bottom: Not all species will get photographed from the bottom, such as slime molds which grow directly on their base. However, for many mushrooms, the view from the bottom is one of the most important photos and critical to be included. Often, the characteristics of the gills (or other underside type) are the key distinguishing feature of a species. It is recommended you bring a pocket size mirror with you to easily photograph the underside.

For a bit more information, here’s a video by iNaturalist which can be applied to any observation app of your choosing.

A Community for FungiQuest

You’re excited to be a Citizen Scientist, and we can’t blame you. We’re all excited to partake in the collection of meaningful data that will help us safeguard our fungi ecosystem and in turn, help us save our environment as a whole.

Whether you are doing this solo or are part of a team, we have a community for you to grow your base of likeminded friends. Join the club at Great North American FungiQuest

FungiQuest Contests Prizes

There are 14 prize packages to be won in the 2022 Great North American FungiQuest.

Prizes for QuestaGamers

Want to have one of your fungi observations immortalized in the upcoming Guardians of Earth game? Or keen to secure a NorthSpore grow kit or t-shirt? To be eligible for these prizes, participate in the Great North American FungiQuest using the QuestaGame app, or identify observations using the BioExpertise Engine.

Most Valuable Player Award: Combined score for spotting and correct IDs

Champion Identifier: Highest score from correct IDs provided by an individual

Champion Spotter: Highest score from verified sightings provided by an individual

Best Find: Highest scoring individual sighting

Prizes for Most Valuable Player Award: A Guardian Spirit AND a Guardian Encounter inspired by one of your observations – immortalizing their find and inspiring new audiences to the magical world of fungi. Plus! A NorthSpore grow kit and a NorthSpore t-shirt.

Prizes for all winners: A Guardian Encounter inspired by one of your observations – immortalizing their find and inspiring new audiences to the magical world of fungi, and an exclusive opportunity to collaborate with Guardians of Earth game artists on a ‘fungi’ add-on for customizable player avatars – which you’ll receive for free when released in the game.

Example of a player avatar
Guardians of Earth Spirit Examples

Online Mushroom Hunt Prizes

Locate all the mushrooms on the websites of each of FungiQuest partner organization (see the logos above) for your chance to win one of five prize packages valued at approximately $200!

Each partner organization has a FungiQuest mushroom somewhere on their website for you to discover! With it is a 6-digit code (ie. FQ1234). Find all mushrooms and add them to this Online Mushroom Hunt Form (contest over) for your chance to win.

Each week, we will be drawing a lucky winner from all the completed submissions, with a total of five packages awarded through the duration of FungiQuest (5 weeks, 5 packages). Each prize package will include:

1 Container of Ultimate Mushroom Complex Capsules

Get more information on this prize

Value: $18.99 (cad)

1 Container of Ultimate Mushroom Complex Gummies

Get more information on this prize.

Value: $34.95 (cad)

1 Gift certificate to Mushroom Mountain for $60.00.

See all that you can purchase.

Value: $60.00 (usd)

Plus! Your choice of a free online foraging course from either

SwallowTail – Pacific Northwest Region OR

ThinkFungi – Northeast Region

Value: up to $63.99 (cad)

Promotional Prizes

Follow the Think Fungi social media channels and participate in our promotional challenges for your chance to win one of five prize packages valued up to $118! Each week, we will be drawing a lucky winner from those who participated, with a total of five packages awarded through the duration of FungiQuest (5 weeks, 5 packages). Each prize package will include:

1 Container of Ultimate Mushroom Complex Capsules

Get more information on this prize

Value: $18.99

1 Container of Ultimate Mushroom Complex Gummies

Get more information on this prize.

Value: $34.95

Plus a choice of either an extra set of FreshCap Ultimate Complex (2 containers, value: $53.94), an online course (Pacific Northwest or Northeast, value: up to $63.99), a NorthSpore grow kit ($28 usd), or one of two $50 Gift Card to GrowMushroomsCanada.ca. While supplies last.

FungiQuest Contest Rules

General

For all three categories of prizes, no purchase is necessary. The observation contest runs from 12:01am EDT on September 15 to 11:59pm EDT on October 15, 2022 while the promotional and mushroom hunt contests run from 12:01am EDT on September 12 to 11:59pm EDT on October 15, 2022. Participants must be from one of the 22 countries of North America. Odds of winning a prize depends entirely on the number of entries. We hold the right to modify, suspend or cancel the contests at any time for any reason. We also hold the right to substitute all or any component of a winning prize package with it’s equivalent value in cash. Any one participant can only win one giveaway. If a participant is drawn to win a second prize package, a new name will be drawn. Employees of any partner organization cannot win a prize package.

Observation Prizes

In order to win Observational Prizes, participants must submit their observations through QuestaGame. QuestaGame has their own terms and conditions on the use of their platform and the rating system used for observations to become ranked and prizes to be awarded. We cannot be held responsible for any errors or issues to arise out of the use of these platforms. Please note that some some prizes (ie. grow kits) cannot be awarded to international winners due to legal restrictions. Gift cards at equal value will be provided in such cases.

Promotional Prizes

In order to win Promotional Prizes, participants will be following the instructions provided on a single or various social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and/or YouTube. Each of the social media platforms has their own terms and conditions on the use of their platform, and are not associated with this contest. We cannot be held responsible for any errors or issues to arise out of the use of these platforms. Please note that some some prizes (ie. grow kits) cannot be awarded to international winners due to legal restrictions. Gift cards at equal value will be provided in such cases.

Online Mushroom Hunt Prizes

In order to win Online Mushroom Hunt Prizes, participants will be browsing the sites of the FungiQuest partners. Each partner will have a specific mushroom located somewhere on their website which can be found without any purchase. Each mushroom will come with an associated code which will be added to a Google Form. All partner websites, and Google Forms, are run independently with their own terms and conditions on the use of their site. We cannot be held responsible for any errors or issues to arise out of the use of their sites. Please note that some some prizes (ie. grow kits) cannot be awarded to international winners due to legal restrictions. Gift cards at equal value will be provided in such cases.