Deadline: 13-Jun-23

Submissions are now open for the 2023/2024 Imagine 2200 climate fiction short story contest, celebrating the futures they want to see.

Imagine 2200 celebrates stories that envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress, imagining intersectional worlds of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope. Stories must be set between today and the year 2200, in a future that shows the path to a clean, green, just world. They are looking for stories that showcase creative climate solutions and community-centered adaptations. They especially want to read — and share — narratives that center solutions from the communities most impacted by the climate crisis and stories that envision what a truly equitable, decolonized society could look like.

Elements

• They’ll be looking for these core elements:
  • Creative climate solutions
  • Hope in action
  • Vivid characters
  • Compelling story
  • Decolonized futures
• They will also judge submissions based on the quality of artistic voice, originality, craft, and technique.

What they are offering to winners

• Cash prizes
• Publication on Grist and Grist partner sites as part of their Imagine 2200 collection
• A reason to stay hopeful
• Prize: There are four prize levels:
  • The first-prize story will be awarded $3,000
  • The second-prize story will be awarded $2,000
  • The third-prize story will be awarded $1,000.
• Nine additional finalists will each receive $300.
• Total approximate retail value (“ARV”) of all prizes: $8,700 US Dollars. Each entrant is only eligible to win one prize in the Contest.

Eligibility Criteria

• The contest is open to writers anywhere in the world, except where participation is prohibited or restricted by applicable law.
• Authors must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
• Submissions must be fictional stories between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
• Submissions must be written in English. They 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.
• They do not accept simultaneous submissions (stories can only be submitted to this contest and not to others, until they 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.
• Stories will be judged by a board of literary experts, including acclaimed authors and editors Nalo Hopkinson, Sam J. Miller, and Paolo Bacigalupi.
• The first-prize story will be awarded $3,000; second prize is $2,000; and third prize is $1,000. Nine additional finalists will each receive $300.
• All 12 final stories will be published on Grist’s website and partner sites as part of their Imagine 2200 collection.
• Worldwide copyright and ownership of each story remains with the author.
• How to prep your story file:
  • Your short story should be uploaded as a word document
  • Your word document should be named as such: title of your story,
  • 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.
  • Limit: ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Any attempt to obtain additional entries (under your own name or another name), including through multiple or duplicate accounts will result in disqualification

Guidelines and Restrictions

• Your Submission must comply with these Contest Official Rules.
• Your Submission must be your original creation and be owned 100% by you, or, alternatively, you must have the full rights to grant the license and other rights that you grant to Sponsor. Grist reserves the right to disqualify an entry at any time if they suspect or determine plagiarism.
• Submissions may not have been generated or written by artificial intelligence.
• You represent and warrant that:
  • The Submission does not violate any applicable law, rule or regulation;
  • To the extent the Submission depicts any individual or features the voice or other qualities of any individual, you are the individual pictured, heard, or otherwise featured in the Submission, or, alternatively, that you have obtained written permission from each person appearing in the entry to grant the rights to Sponsor described in these Official Rules, and will make written copies of such permissions available to Sponsor upon request;
  • The Submission complies with all requirements of these Contest Contest Official Rules.
• Your Submission may not have been previously published anywhere, in full or in part, in any language, in print or online. Your Submission must not have previously received any prize or distinction in another contest.
• They do not accept simultaneous submissions (stories can only be submitted to this contest, and not to other contests of publications, until they have informed you of the result).
• Submissions must be fictional stories between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
• Submissions must be written in English. They are not able to translate stories from other languages at this time.
• Submissions can be co-authored by more than one entrant. If you are submitting as a co-author, only one co-author should enter the Submission. If a co-authored tory is selected for publication, all authors will be credited, and prize money will be divided equally between them.
• Submissions will only be accepted through Submittable. If you need accessibility accommodations.
• Your short story should be uploaded as a word document.
• Your word document should be named as such: title of your story, submission date.
• 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,.

For more information, visit GRIST.