The Great Global Nurdle Hunt is Fidra’s annual citizen science event inviting organisations, community groups and individuals to take part in nurdle hunts around the world. Together, participants raise awareness of plastic pellet pollution while helping to build a global snapshot of where nurdles are found. ​

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The crucial data gathered helps highlight the scale of the problem to decision makers worldwide and strengthens calls for action to tackle this significant source of global microplastic pollution.

The Great Global Nurdle Hunt 2026 Has Begun!

Take Part - 4th September - 4th October 2026

The Great Global Nurdle Hunt 2026 is underway! Join volunteers around the world between the 4th September - 4th October, gathering important evidence of nurdle pollution, raising awarness and calling for change.

Taking part is easy, you can do a nurdle on your own or organize a nurdle hunt for your community, colleagues, friends and family to take part in. Download your copy of this year’s participant pack, containing information, resources, nurdle hunting tips, social media resources and more, to help you to take part and organise your own hunts!

Don’t forget that you don’t have to wait for the Great Global Nurdle Hunt to start taking part in nurdle hunts. Anyone can do a nurdle hunt at anytime of the year, not only during the Great Global Nurdle Hunt, and no special training or equipment is needed.

Follow us on on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and sign up to our newsletter to receive updates on this year’s event, useful resources, and information to help you take part.  

Make sure you download the Great Nurlde Hunt app, designed to make nurdle hunting easier than ever! Log your sightings quickly even without an internet connection and use the built-in counter to effortlessly track your finds. Download from app stores now!

Why not find out what happened last year in The Great Global Nurdle 2025 report!

Key findings from October's 2025 Great Global Nurdle Hunt:

• Over 1,500 volunteers across 25 countries took part in 297 nurdle hunts.
• Volunteers found nurdles in 92% of participating countries including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia and the Philippines for the first time. 
• In October 2025 88% of hunts in coastal and marine protected areas found nurdles.

From 2013 to 2025, nurdle hunt data collected around the world has found:

• 90% of nurdle hunts done in biodiversity hotspots around the world found nurdles.
• Nurdles have been found in 23 out of 36 internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots around the world and have been identified in protected areas in Mexico, India, the UK, and Galapagos.

Thank you to the amazing organisations who participate in the hunt, and to everyone who searched and raised awareness about this issue. Your efforts are critical in making this microplastic pollution problem more visible, helping to increase pressure on government and industry to step up and end nurdle loss.

Our growing nurdle network allows organisations to share knowledge and expertise on solutions, bringing us all closer to stopping global nurdle pollution for good. If you would like to learn more about nurdle pollution and solutions visit our Nurdle Information Hub for NGOs and community groups.