Green Stories Writing Competitions
About us
The competition is being run by the University of Southampton and is led by Prof Denise Baden, Professor in Sustainable Business. Assisting are Carole Burns, Head of Creative Writing and Dr Aiysha Jahan, a published writer with a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Southampton. Our mission is to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy.
Please see the upcoming competitions below:
Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize Dec 2021
Our mission is to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy. Currently most green communications preach to the converted i.e. only those who already care choose to watch climate change documentaries or read books with a green theme. Thus a particular aim is to use fiction as a way to reach a wider audience, and support winning authors to translate their stories into published books.
Entry Fee: Free*
* but entrants must show they have read at least one chapter from successfully published pieces from the Green Stories project that provide an example of entertaining mainstream fiction that meets the criteria of showing green solutions (not just problems) that readers can engage with. This year the book is Habitat Man, an eco-themed rom-com written specifically for the green stories project. Green Stories will provide one chapter free to download by the end of September or you can buy the whole book now if you prefer. The submission survey (link available 2 months before the deadline) will include a short easy quiz to demonstrate that you’ve read the extract.
The reason is that over the previous 12 competitions, we have found that as it is free to enter, a large burden has been placed on our judges reading large numbers of entries that do not meet the criteria.
Length: Typically novels are 70,000 – 95,000 words. Submit three chapters* (minimum of 4000 words, maximum 10,000 words) as one document that must include the following:
- the first chapter
- another chapter that best showcases how your novel meets the green stories criteria
- a third chapter (suggest the final chapter if possible)
- a synopsis between 500 and 1000 words (name and contact details optional – we can identify via submission page) that covers genre, plot, characters, and details of how it meets the green stories criteria of showcasing positive visions of a more sustainable society or incorporating green solutions into the context of an otherwise mainstream story.
.Further information can be found here
Adult Short Stories Competition Feb 2022
Our mission is to create a cultural body of work that entertains and informs about green solutions, inspires green behaviour and raises awareness of the necessary transformations towards a sustainable economy. Currently, most green communications preach to the converted i.e. only those who already care choose to watch climate change documentaries or read books with a green theme. Thus a particular aim is to use fiction as a way to reach a wider audience, and support winning authors to translate their stories into published books.
Entry Fee: Free*
* but entrants must show they have read at least one chapter from successfully published pieces from the Green Stories project that provide an example of entertaining mainstream fiction that meets the criteria of showing green solutions (not just problems) that readers can engage with. This year the book is Habitat Man, an eco-themed rom-com written specifically for the green stories project. Green Stories will provide one chapter free to download by the end of September or you can buy the whole book now if you prefer. The submission survey (link available 2 months before the deadline) will include a short easy quiz to demonstrate that you’ve read the extract.
The reason is that over the previous 12 competitions, we have found that as it is free to enter, a large burden has been placed on our judges reading large numbers of entries that do not meet the criteria.
Length: We ask for a short story of between 2000 and 5000 words plus a synopsis between 300 and 800 words (name and contact details optional – we can identify via submission page) that covers genre, plot, characters, and details of how it meets the green stories criteria.
Eligibility: Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality, as long as it is in English and has not been published elsewhere.
More information can be found here