Cephalopod champions, assemble! Cephalopod Week has returned for its sixth year of celebration and merriment of all things armed, tentacled, and suckered.

Since 2014, we have come together near the end of June for eight days to wrap our minds around cephalopods, that curious, clever class of invertebrates—cuttlefish, squid, nautiluses, octopuses, and more. Thousands of you have taken part of the festivities over the years, whether by posting your octo-fashion on social media, chatting with squid scientists on stage, or sharing your “nauti” cephalopod poetry.

And this year, Science Friday’s cephalo-bration is back and bigger than ever.

Every day from June 21 to 28, there will be more ways for you to celebrate than arms you can count. Whether you like to cuttle up at home or get squiddy with it in person, we’ll bring the party to you with new stories, videos, hands-on activities, online Q&As with experts, and live events in 10 cities across the United States—not to mention all the geeking out that happens on social media. We’ll explore the mysteries of the ancient ammonite, the mind-bending neurology of the octopus, the color-changing abilities deep within cephalopod skin, and more! 

How To Join In!

Tell Us How You Are Celebrating Cephalopods

This year we want to hear from you! Going to an aquarium to draw cuttlefish? Reading squid sonnets? Baking an octopus cake with your kids? Or have an argument for why your favorite cephalopod is the best in the ocean? We want to hear it.

Using your favorite voice memo recording app on your smart device, we want you to tell us: What’s your favorite cephalopod and why?

Record your short audio stories and email it to us at voices@sciencefriday.com! Here’s how to do it. Or feel free to leave us a message in our inbox at 567-243-2456.

We’ll be sharing all kinds of squiddy fun in our Cephalopod Week Facebook Group. And, as always, we will be partying on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #CephalopodWeek.

Ask Your Burning Cephalopod Questions On reddit

Are your tentacles and arms tingling with excitement to ask your burning cephalopod questions? Now’s your chance. For one full hour on reddit, you’ll have the undivided attention of not one, not two, but THREE cephalopod experts. Authors of a new visual guide to cephalopods, Louise Allcock, Roger Hanlon, and Mike Vecchione, will answer your questions on everything from their deep evolution, impressive diversity, to their fascinating camouflage abilities.

Join them for the reddit AMA on Monday, June 24, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern in r/AskScience. 

Poddy In Person At Cephalopod Movie Night

We’re teaming up with Atlas Obscura and a pod of partner organizations to celebrate in 10 cities across the U.S.! Each show has something special for moviegoers, from unique venue locales, brand new screenings of short science films, live conversations with cephalopod scientists, art performances and installations, activities and scavenger hunts, and more. See where Cephalopod Movie Night is screening closest to you, and hurry! Tickets are being snatched up fast!

Read, Watch, And Listen!

Throughout the week, you can count on a wave of new stories about cephalopods. You can discover our latest articles, videos, education activities, and radio segments, or dive deep into our pool of archival stories in the Cephalopod Week Spotlight.

Join Our Sea Of Support

Have you ever wanted to sponsor a cephalopod? Now, you can! Well, not a real one. With every donation of $8 (for every day of Cephalopod Week), you can sponsor a different cephalopod, beautifully illustrated by artist Franz Anthony. The cephalopod badge along with your first name and city will be a part of our Sea of Supporters! If you can’t pick just one of these celebrity cephs, why not sponsor a whole team of eight?

See our Sea of Support here!