Storyfest 2018

Announcing the Storyfest 2018 finalists!

Storyfest 2018 had an amazing response from students across the country! Winners will travel with us to Alaska in June. You must attend the 2018 Planet Forward Summit to find out the grand prize winners. Read more about Storyfest 2018 >>

Planet Forward is pleased to announce the Storyfest 2018 finalists. Please watch, listen, read — and like and share your favorites! 

Scroll down to see all the Storyfest 2018 entries.

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MOST COMPELLING CHARACTER(S)

Renewable Juneau: One phone call at a time by Megan Behnke, Florida State University

Tutors for a farming illiterate society by Shandra Furtado, The George Washington University

The fight for El Oro by Elizabeth Hasier, The George Washington University

Environmentalist breaks conventions with comedy by Peter Jurich, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Talking about climate change at ‘redneck’ fishing tournament by Austin Keating and Becca Fanning, Northwestern University

Bringing the topic of climate change to Arkansas by Samantha Tafoya, University of Arkansas

 

MOST CREATIVITY IN THE ART OF ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

The life of a water bottle by Nancy Etro, Eckerd College

We've been 'shellfish' enough already: It's time to take care of the Chesapeake Bay by Ashley Gallagher and Jordan Mullaney, The George Washington University

New words to talk about the future: 'Loanwords to Live With' by Alaine Johnson, Yale-NUS College

Go Vegan by CJ Koepp, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Changing minds in the age of changing climate by Navya Pothamsetty, University of California-Berkeley

Solarpunk: Sustainability’s never looked better by Janet Rogers, SUNY-ESF

 

BEST USE OF SCIENCE OR DATA IN ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

Counting calories? Count your carbon, too by Katherine Baker, Columbia University

'Catch the King' tide event saved tons of flood data by Courtney Brubaker, University of Virginia

Can Atlantic salmon be restored in New York State? by Matthew Dieffenbach, SUNY-ESF

Winds of power by Jacob Meltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Corn ethanol is a renewable energy, but is it clean? by Laura Whaling, The George Washington University

The return of the 'Alalā by Wren Wilson, SUNY-ESF

 

BEST SCALABLE INNOVATION

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is the future of farming by Ysabella Bhagroo, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Cleaning up the coast, one small group at a time by Harrison Gardiner, SUNY Oswego

Water crisis inspires innovative solutions in Bangladesh by Mahfuzul Haque, University of Mississippi

Period products and the environment by Jade Jasmine Hurley, The George Washington University

From waste to wetlands: A small town solution to water scarcity by Vanessa Moss, Sewanee: The University of the South

The buzz about elephants: Using bees to protect crops by Hailey Smalley, SUNY-ESF

 

MOST AMBITIOUS IDEA

New gadget helps find household leaks, save water & money by Emily Arnold, Georgetown University

Is there still hope for a renewable microgrid in Puerto Rico? by Conner Elliott-Knaggs, Elon University

Roots & Shoots: As told by the mountain by Terrius Harris, University of Mississippi

Beyond the Lion City: Singapore’s Ground-Up Initiative by Alaine Johnson, Yale-NUS

Sacred spaces to help rebuild reverence for our planet by Maizy Ludden, Syracuse University

Preventing extinction: The last doesn’t have to mean the end by Olivia Urbanski, Loyola University Chicago

 

THE GW PRIZE

What lessons can the women of Bangladesh teach us? by Maura Fallon

Barriers to experience: Understanding race in professional environmentalism by Matilda Kreider

Endangered hawksbill sea turtles rebound in Belize by Connor Muldowney

The tourist’s role in the Cape Town water crisis by Madeleine Pye

Where does it go? Composting at GWU by Alex Rubenstein

D.C.'s new waterfront: The neighbor the Potomac River needs by Laura Whaling

SEE ALL STORYFEST ENTRIES BELOW...

Storyfest winners take in astonishing Alaska
Frank Sesno
Founder and Chief Executive, Planet Forward
We just concluded our 2018 Planet Forward storytelling expedition to Alaska with Lindblad Expeditions aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion. Our Storyfest winners were dazzled by the ecosystems and the wildlife.
2018 Summit - Storyfest Grand Prize Announcement
Emily Arnold
Georgetown University
The 2018 Summit closed with the highly anticipated Storyfest 2018 grand prize awards ceremony to see which six student storytellers will be traveling to Alaska this June.
Congratulations, Storyfest 2018 winners!

From left: Alex Rubenstein, Navya Pothamsetty, Shandra Furtado, Ashley Gallagher, Katherine Baker, Sven Lindblad, Frank Sesno, Vanessa Moss, Emily Arnold and Dr. Imani M. Cheers.

Planet Forward Staff
Planet Forward
Winners will travel to Alaska, courtesy of Alaska Airlines, to travel with Lindblad Expeditions aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion this June.
Solarpunk: Sustainability's never looked better
Janet Rogers
SUNY ESF
Current political and social systems resist meaningful change. As a result, a punk subculture, committed to portraying and moving toward a sustainable future, has formed.
Will there be more frozen lakes?
Lonely Lake
Ella Guo
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The global warming is real. When you go to school near a lake that freezes during winter, the lake is your everyday's weather forecast and the best evidence of climate change.
Invasion with a side of insight
Ella Norris
UW Madison
Lake Mendota is the eyepiece of Madison, a beautiful blue trait that the whole city shares. But underneath its surface are unclear waters. 
The Prius problem
Tristan Phillips
SUNY ESF
The dumping of a Toyota Prius is illegal in 41 states. Here is a story of that issue with a few possible solutions.
Leafy Green Machine: An acre sized lunch box
Leafy Green Machine greens

The Leafy Green Machine is optimized for the growth of a wide variety of lettuces, herbs and hearty greens. (Photo courtesy Freight Farms)

Emily Arnold
Georgetown University
The triple bottom line solution to our food system.
Artist Lonnie Holley on the environment and emotions
Lonnie Holley
Lonnie Holley
MacPherson Christopher
Middlebury College
This environmentally focused artist, based in Atlanta, Georgia, creates art as a form of remembrance and interaction with the environment.
Traffic congestion and air pollution and the rise of asthma in children
Traffic congestion and air pollution
Ellen Kim
George Washington University
Traffic congestion in urban cities have contributed a significant portion of greenhouse gases like CO2 to air pollution and that has direct correlation to an increase of health effects, especially asthma in children.

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