Future Folklore

Future Folklore is a speculative fiction contest that imagines a world where equitable climate change initiatives have been set in motion.

We’ve announced our 13 winners! Top prize has been awarded $400; 2nd prize $275; 3rd prize $150; and special selections $50 each.

1st prize: The Spirits are Wiser than We Are, by Divine Titus - Nigeria

2nd place: What's Freely Given, by Alboricah Rathupetsane - South Africa

3rd place: A Gift of Gold, by A.J. Eastwood- United States

Special Selections

Zen Archipelago, by T.E. Fahlstedt - Sweden

The Blue Flame, by Nicole Zandi

The Island of Makkah, by Zaheer Carrim - South Africa 

Market Day, by Roberta Scalise - Germany

Bayanihan in Redux, by Io Carpiso- The Philippines

St. Winston’s Refuge for Extinct Animals, by Janna Miller - United States   

Harvest Season, by Autumn Baker - United States

Bird of Paradise, by Aisha Chapra - Pakistan

Dust Bunny, by Zackary Bolen - United States

The Green For the Earth, by Sefa Mnda - Nigeria   

Future Folklore seeks tales that capture the wildest dreams of your ancestors and the necessary, hopeful reality of the generations to come. This year’s contest was also a call to practice an emergent genre called Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi), which uses a speculative format to respond to the climate crisis. Whether your tale is set ten years from now, or two hundred, these stories show us ways to envision innovating the values, practices and technologies of the past and today. 

Read the eBook

Judges

Autumn Meghan Brown | Darshan Elena Campos phd | Holly Medland

Sponsors

Harriet Fassenfest |Chris Bailey |Chrissy Washburn

Tyanne Conner | Colin Hosten | Ellie Miske

Karen Skjerning | Francine Ortega | Amelia Regalado

Martha Bardach | Allison Potteiger | Mark Lakeman

Tiffany Chapman | Zoe Schuttler | Rebecca Cannara

Nels Pearson | Michele Tragakiss | Alexander Juliard

Terri Franklin | Rahul Yadav

Interested in thinking about the future? Here were the optional prompts we put out to get writers thinking.

• Replication: Humans can now replicate, in any capacity, one natural process that can help with climate change. What process or lesson is it? (Think: the cooperativeness of mycorrhizal fungi; symbiosis between two species; the transference of nutrients through networks). How, where and why would this process be used? 

• Revival: What would the future look like if we revived aspects from a pre-colonial era? For example, what traditions and practices would you revive from your background or community? Which ones fit into your vision of a sustainable future? 

• Appropriate technology: What technology should or could replace one-size-fits-all technology in the context of your land? Imagine anything!

• Reversal of dominant narratives: Data shows us that “developed” nations actually emit the biggest carbon footprint per capita, despite the dominant narrative that “underdeveloped” nations do. Another dominant, cultural belief of some cultures is that the earth exists to be extracted from. Create a counter-narrative to the dominant narratives that exploit people and places.

• Elder Vision: What hopeful world did your ancestors desire or predict? Pick a point where you think their desired world deviated and imagine it differently. 

• Imagination: What innovative social practices will be present in the future? What role does imagination play in the future to curtail climate change?

• Small nation activism: Imagine a world in which small nations play a larger role in determining policy over the planet’s future. Choose or imagine a small nation and who its leaders and activists are. What issues have they challenged? What issues have they overcome? What do they know that can save the planet?