The cash prize of $2000 each will be given away to two people who write the best stories about environmental disaster.[break]
According to the organizers, they are looking for stories that deal with environmental disaster, whether caused by random asteroid impacts or oil drilling accidents. Mental models that can help policy-makers, researchers and individuals prepare for the kinds of cataclysmic events that have occurred regularly throughout Earth´s history are encouraged to be sent in.
The website states that they are holding this contest to reward people for coming up with ideas that could help avert the next deepwater spill and Pacific garbage gyre - or help people prepare better for the next Indian Ocean tsunami and Haiti earthquake. Storytelling is a powerful tool.
The team of judges for the contest includes Elizabeth Kolbert (The New Yorker´s environment reporter), Paolo Bacigalupi (author of Ship Breaker and Windup Girl), and Jonathan Strahan (editor of the Eclipse anthologies), as well as others to be announced.
Contest Guidelines:
- Your story should be between 3,000-5,000 words and it must be an original story that has not been published elsewhere.
- The contest has two categories: Non-Fiction and Science Fiction. There will be a winner from each category.
Guidelines for Non-Fiction Entries:
Your story can be a piece of investigative journalism, a well-researched history, biographical/autobiographical narrative, or science/technology writing for a lay audience. You can write a profile of people or groups dealing with environmental disaster, analyze the science behind environmental problems, or cover the story of a disaster that has already happened. We prefer stories that involve reporting and research. Though the story must be original, you may base it on research you have already done for another project or piece of reporting.
Guidelines for Science Fiction Entries:
Your story should deal meaningfully and plausibly with some aspect of environmental disaster. There are no limits on the kind of disaster you explore. It could be an exploding star, a plague, tachyon pollution, nanotech diseases, climate change, or something else. What´s important is that your story deals with causes and consequences. How did the disaster happen, who will benefit from it, how will people (or other creatures) respond to it?
Submitting your entry:
Mail your submission as a document file attachment. In your cover letter, be sure to include your name and your contact. Also, specify whether you are entering the science fiction or non-fiction category. You can mail submissions to environmentalwriting@io9.com.
Gawker Media does not own your stories but it does have the right to print/reprint them, and anyone can enter this competition regardless of country or age. The deadline for all stories is set for December 11, 2010. For more information, log onto www.io9.com.
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