Storytelling can take on many forms, such as audio, visual, and writing. This contest will accept submissions using the following story mediums: Podcasts, photo essays, and narrative essays. We encourage you to choose the medium that most interests you.

Note: We recognize that the final editing quality of these mediums will vary among the submissions. Therefore, we will be evaluating each submission by its ability to answer the prompt and tell an impactful story with a personal perspective, not by expertise in the chosen medium.

We will be looking for stories that have a clear beginning, middle, and end. For example:

Beginning: What is the first feeling that comes up when you hear the word “climate change”?

What are your feelings towards climate change? Why? Did you always feel this way about climate change, or did it shift somehow?

Middle: Are you feeling hopeful about climate change? Why? Is there an activity you do that gives you hope? Is there someone or an organization that inspires you?

Are you feeling frustrated and/or anxious about climate change? Why? Are there opportunities in your community to be more involved in climate or environmental work? Review the Climate Action Venn Diagram and discover your own climate solution.

Are you feeling indifferent about climate change? Why? Is there a story that interests you? Can you research it further? How does climate change impact different communities? Your community?

End: After exploring different aspects and stories about climate change, how have your feelings shifted? Or, how have they stayed the same?

Record audio that answers the prompt. The podcast must be no longer than 7 minutes. Podcast script/transcription must be included in the entry form. Here are some ideas:

• Have an interview with a person(s)
• Have a casual conversation with a friend or relative
• Talk about research findings you think are interesting
• Talk about your opinion and/or experiences
• Make your recording in a quiet place or incorporate background noise or other sounds that support your storytelling.

Take 8-10 original photos to answer the prompt and compile a photo essay. Photos must be the original work of the student(s). Photos must not be manipulated beyond the reality of when it was taken. Images should accurately represent the subjects depicted and those that appear overly processed can be disqualified at the judges' discretion.

• Write an introduction summary (1 paragraph)
• Write a short caption for each photo (1-2 sentences)
• For each photo, include the location of where the photo was taken. Photos taken outside of California are acceptable.

Write a personal narrative essay answering the prompt (up to 650 words). Must be:

• Double-spaced
• 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial font

• Not all people experience pollution and climate change equally. Having fewer burdens and greater wealth can make it easier to adapt and respond to climate changes. Historic and present-day racism has often resulted in industry, highways, and ports located in predominantly BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, increasing the health and economic harms of pollution and sharpening the impacts of climate change. Communities with lower incomes, BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, older or very young people, women — all can be more at risk from climate change. Climate justice is a concept that focuses on addressing the unequal burdens of climate change and working toward equity in climate change solutions. Read more about climate justice from the University of California Center for Climate Justice and the MIT Climate Portal.
• Talking about climate change is important. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showed that while 72% of Americans surveyed in 2024 understand that global warming is happening, 64% never discuss global warming with others. Only 59% of Americans surveyed understand that climate change is caused by people, and 45% think it won't harm them personally. A 2022 study of more than 6,000 people in the U.S. found that while supporters of major climate policies outnumber opponents 2 to 1, Americans falsely perceive nearly the opposite to be true.
• Eliminating the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas will slow and reduce the impacts of climate change. The United States gets 80% of its total energy from coal, oil, and methane gas for uses like heating, transportation, manufacturing, and electricity. In California, almost half of electricity is from renewable sources, but that varies widely depending on your local community's resources and choices. In 2018, California passed a law to end the use of fossil fuels for electricity by 2045. You can find information on California's oil refineries and renewable energy resources from the California Energy Commission, and explore a map of oil and gas wells and related facilities from the California Department of Conservation. Do these resources lead you to new questions or ideas for how to address the use and impact of fossil fuels in your community?
• In September 2023, the State of California sued five major oil companies (Exxon, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and BP) and the American Petroleum Institute for deception, cover-up, and damage of health and environmental impacts resulting from their business practices. Read the press release and the text of the lawsuit.
• While we work to end our use of fossil fuels, it's important to responsibly plan for a future of climate change. Sea level is rising, although the amount it will rise depends on how fast we eliminate CO₂ emissions. Learn about sea level rise in California and how the choices coastal communities make today will have a big impact on what our coast looks like tomorrow.
• According to the US EPA, transportation is the largest source of heat-trapping gases in the United States, at 28% of the total as of 2022. Emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. What methods of more sustainable transportation are available in your community? How could your community reduce the distance traveled for things like work, shopping, and fun?
• California's increasingly dangerous and prolonged fire season is connected to climate change. Read about the connection and the impacts in Grist and Yale Climate Connections articles. UC Santa Barbara's ENVENT Lab has produced climate fact sheets on a number of topics including the connection between climate change and wildfires. California Tribes and others are calling for a return to traditional fire management practices to reduce large, dangerous wildfires. How is your community addressing wildfires and the resulting smoke?
• We can help protect coastal communities and habitat from sea level rise and increasing storms through nature-based projects including dune and wetland restoration. Beaches (which are important public recreation lands as well as serving as habitat and flood protection) can move inland as sea level rises unless hard structures are in the way of that movement. How does this knowledge relate to your community's preparation for sea level rise?
• We can pull some CO₂ out of the air and ocean (a process called carbon sequestration) through activities like carbon farming, kelp restoration, and wetlands conservation. Many of these actions have other benefits for natural and human communities. Do projects like these have a place in your community?
• Project Drawdown is a research organization that identifies, analyzes, and reviews global climate solutions. Find their solutions library linking to information about each of them. Do any of these solutions exist in your community?

2024 - How is your community responding to the climate crisis?
First place: Dr. Bike and FUHSD vs. Climate Change, by Rishabh Anand
Second place: One Community at a Time, Lucy Merhige and Julia Briggs
Third place: Awakening to Change, Cole Bucher

2023 - What is your vision for a thriving future?
First place: Taking Action For Our Future, by Natalie Chen
Second place: A Vision of Change, Caroline Huang
Third place: Embracing Greenery in Urbanized Communities, Ruby Dao, Suri Tran, Cindy Phan, and Hayde Perez
Honorable mention: Earth's Balancing Act, Sofia Nguyen, Anthony Chau, Chelsey Nguyen, and Cindy Phan

2022 - What is your vision for a thriving future?
First place: Growing Our Future, by Charlotte Quintanar
Second place: Dream Earth, Moselle Mac and Kyle Lieu
Third place: Compost Happens, Audrey Ma
Honorable mention: Blockville, Rosemary Achauer, Claire Kaltsas, and Kimmy Swift

2021 - What does climate justice look like to me?
First place: The Health Crisis at the US-Mexico Border, Ilan Jinich
Second place: What does climate justice look like?, Natalie Cavander
Third place tie: What Will We Choose?, Emma Weibel, Elena Grilli, Solaine Bardin, and Inji Hamdoun
Third place tie: The Climate News Network PSA, Ify Chidi, Aamir Haq, Kate Rivera, and Shenran Chen
Honorable mention: What does climate justice look like to me?, Rajvi Umrigar, Hasith Basnayake, Nikki Liu, Frank Hobson, and Jena Alsup

2020 - How can we come together for the climate?
Winning video, by Edison and Ashley Jun

Watch a playlist of winning videos from previous years