Submissions are now open to Grist’s 4th Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest. If you have a short story envisioning the future of climate progress, go ahead and submit by the deadline of June 24.
Founded in 1999, Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to highlighting climate solutions and uncovering environmental injustices. Since 2020, Grist’s Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest has celebrated short stories envisioning the future of climate progress, and works that imagine futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope.
The winning writer will be awarded $3,000. The second- and third-place winners receive $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. An additional 9 finalists will each receive $300. All winners and finalists will have their story published in a Grist digital collection.
Oregon State University’s Spring Creek Project will also offer the winning writer the opportunity to participate in its Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a writing residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for the winner to spend up to four weeks in residence to continue their climate writing project. The Fellow will receive a $3,000 honorarium from Spring Creek Project.
Imagine 2200 is an exercise in looking beyond the current moment, to discover hope in the world we can build. The contest looks for stories rooted in creative climate solutions and community-centered resilience, showing what can happen as solutions take root, and stories that offer gripping plots with rich characters and settings, making that future come alive. It particularly aims to encourage – and share – stories from voices and cultures underrepresented in climate fiction and from the communities most impacted by the climate crisis.
The judges for the 2024-25 contest include acclaimed authors Omar El Akkad and Annalee Newitz.
Submission Guidelines:
- Entry is free!
- Stories must be between 2,500 and 5,000 words.
- Open to writers anywhere in the world, except where participation is prohibited or restricted by applicable law.
- All authors must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
- Submissions must be fictional stories between 2,500 and 5,000 words.
- Submissions must be written in English. We are not able to translate stories from other languages at this time.
- Submissions must not have been previously published, nor received a prize or distinction in another contest.
- No simultaneous submissions (stories can only be submitted to this contest and not to others, until we have informed you of the result).
- Only one submission will be accepted per entrant.
- Submissions can be co-authored by more than one entrant. Only one of the co-authors should submit the story. The submissions form will offer a way to list the other co-author(s). If a co-authored story is selected for publication, all authors will be credited, and prize money will be divided between them.
- Your story may not have been generated or written, in whole or in part, by artificial intelligence.
- Your short story should be uploaded as a Word document (.doc acceptable; .docx preferred.)
- Your Word document should be named as such: title of your story – YEAR; Ex. Story Title – 2024
- Your document should not contain any identifying biographical information (including your name).
- The first page of your document should include your story’s title and word count at the top in Arial 14-point font.
- The rest of your document should be in Arial 12-point font with double line spacing, and at least one-inch margins.
- All document pages should include a header in the upper right-hand corner with the correct sequential page number, starting on page 1, and your story’s title.
Deadline: June 24, 2024, 11:59 p.m. PST
Submit here.
Good luck to all applicants!
