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...

The Inian Islands Institute, dubbed the “hobbit hole” by its residents, sits in a remote area near where the Inside Passage meets the Gulf of Alaska. This patch of land has been a hotbed of human activities for centuries; from Tlingit summer fishing camp to fox farm homestead. Now in the hands of scientists the land is used as an ecological research field camp. (Photos by Shandra Furtado/George Washington University)

“Killer whales are apex predators, the dominant animals in these waters," explains Christine West, a naturalist aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion. This means their health reflects that of the entire habitat, as pollutants at every trophic level will travel up the food web and into these organisms. By the time these impacts are visible, however, it may be too late for a simple, one-size-fits-all solution. (Mike Harris/Lindblad Expeditions)