Superhero Competition (deadline 15th April 2023)

Deadline 15th April 2023 (by midnight BST)

Aim of Prize

‘Saving the world’ is the basic job description of most superheroes, but who on Earth is going to help ‘save the planet’? Maybe that’s where you come in! As part of the Green Stories Competition, this contest challenges you to create an uplifting short story of superheroes that respond to climate change. Imagine your target audience to be teens and young adults that enjoy watching superhero films. 

There are two key priorities:

  1. story telling ability – the story should be engaging and
  2. incorporate green solutions e.g. by
    • showcasing what a green/sustainable society might look like and/or how we might get there.
    • smuggling green solutions into a story aimed at mainstream readers – this can be quite subtle.
    • using positive role models

It is NOT enough to just raise awareness of environmental issues, you need to show how we might solve them.

Drawing on your own experiences of climate change, entries from adults that live /have lived in the following countries are especially welcome (but not essential): India, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, or Brazil.  

Prize

Once finished, submit your short story to the superhero category of the Green Stories Competition website. The winner will receive:  

  • £500 prize* (~$600). 
  • A scene from your story turned into a 1 page comic strip, made by a professional artist! (The same artist that made the illustration shown here). 

(*Or equivalent in your own currency)

Feel free to add your own illustrations, but this is optional, as the stories are judged on the text.  

Submission Guidelines

Please only submit if you meet the criteria of highlighting climate solutions (just raising awareness of problems is not enough). Every entry costs us money and provides work for our judges. As a free competition, we cannot afford to process entries that do not fit what we asked for.

The word limit is 2,000 words. Please write in English, and review the questions below to gauge how your story will be judged. Open to adults, and teenagers aged 14+. The deadline is 15th April 2023. Good luck! 

Submission link available from 1st April 2023.  

Please allow three months before winners are likely to be announced.

Questions to Help Guide Your Writing

  • What kind of superpowers would your heroes have? 
  • What are your own experiences of climate change (and extreme heat) in the countries you’ve lived in?  
  • Are there any personal/ emotional barriers to your own efforts to address climate change in real life? Would your own heroes face similar challenges?  
  • What are the personalities of your heroes? What are their virtues and limitations? What about their backstory and occupation?  
  • How will they attempt to reduce, or adapt to, climate change (and extreme heat)? Will your audience be able to do similar in their own lives? 
  • Which solutions will you include in the story? If possible, draw on the information provided below *. Will technology help or hinder their goals? 
  • Will the character(s) take political action? If so, how effective would their campaigns/ activism be in addressing their fears for the future? 
  • Is your story entertaining enough for the target audience? 
  • If you have not lived in a country that’s particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis, are you able to listen to the experiences of people that have?  

You can download a free anthology of climate solution stories to inspire you here. You may also find the associated webpages a useful resource: https://www.greenstories.org.uk/anthology-for-cop27/solutions/.  

Additional Resources

Additional issues and solutions to choose from, to aid your own research: 

  1. a) India and Pakistan’s severe heat wave, explained – Vox; b) Climate change: the effects of extreme heat on health in Africa — 4 essential reads (theconversation.com); c) What increasingly hot and dusty Middle East summers mean for public health, productivity and energy demand (arabnews.com) 
  1. Climate and Migration – Home – (climatemigration.org.uk) 
  1. The Green New Deal bill: Has your MP backed the bill? – GND Rising 
  1. How to keep cool without air conditioning – DW – 07/18/2022 
  1. Millions cannot afford to heat homes as UK faces Arctic snap | Fuel poverty | The Guardian;  
  1. What are heat pumps and why is the UK government pushing them? | Energy efficiency | The Guardian 
  1. Liter of Light .  

To decide the winner, the competition judges will be looking for entertaining stories that are mindful of the political, ecological, social, and/or technological aspects of climate change. They will also consider how you’ve approached the questions, above (in bullet points). 

Submission Link

Link to submit

BUT FIRST: Does your story meet the judging criteria of a superhero story that includes climate solutions as outlined above?  If yes, once you submit, you will asked to summarise how in less than 70 words. If no, please do not submit.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the competition organiser, Jeremy Brown: j.d.brown@soton.ac.uk .