Stories can shape how we see the world and how we behave. So, it makes sense that – through their stories – writers can encourage readers to bring about change.
The Anthology Project adopts this premise and develops initiatives with interested partners to produce content and engaging information that inspire local communities.
The Anthology Project (Tirol)
In 2022, with our partners Energie Tirol, ‘Tirol 2050′, TKI, Klimabündnis Tirol, Pädagogische Hochschule Tirol, MCI and KlimaFit, we encouraged communities in Tirol to think differently about the climate crisis.
Through the writing and publishing of positive Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) short stories about life in Tirol in 2050, we set out to nurture hope, reduce climate anxiety, and encourage communities to adapt their behaviours in ways that meaningfully contribute to climate change mitigation.
The inaugural Cli-Fi contest – aimed at school pupils aged 14 to 18 – was launched in September 2022 to 57 schools in Tirol.
Learn more
The Winner of the Cli-Fi Short Story Contest 2022
* Elea Fleißner’s story The Blue Tarp *
The Blue Tarp, a story about a boy called Finn who lives in a world where it is forbidden to cut down trees and plastic does not exist, has won The Climate Fiction Short Story Contest (English) 2022.
The Editorial panel and the 4 Judges from academia and business, unanimously agreed that Elea’s story was an outstanding submission.
“Elea has written a nostalgic story that opens a space for a conversation about what happened in the past and what happens now,” said The Anthology Project founder, Leanne Mills. “The judges and I were all impressed with Elea’s ability to write such an engaging and well-crafted story in English. We’re delighted to award her the €500 prize as the winner of 2022’s Climate Fiction Contest in English,” Mills said.
Judge Professor Dr Dorothee Birke, Chair of Anglophone Literatures, University Innsbruck said, “This is beautifully done!”
Judge Rebecca Sandbichler, Editor-in-Chief, 20er said, “The writer has developed the plot very well within the small word count; it is a page turner!”
Judge Dr Antje Bierwisch, MCI Professor and ‘Futures Literacy’ expert said, “The author gives us an exciting view of her generation…she sheds light on the responsibility we have as a society in dealing with new technologies and their possible long-term consequences.”
The winner, Elea Fleißner, said: “I’m super excited and want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story. I look forward to spending my prize on travelling this summer.”
The Blue Tarp is available for digital or print publishing. Use Contact page to request a PDF.
The Climate Fiction Contest 2022 – Now closed!
‘Life in Tirol in 2050: Optimistic visions that inspire us to act’
Launched on 12 September, at the start of the new school year, The Climate Fiction Contest 2022 encouraged school pupils aged between 14 and 18 at more than 57 schools across Tirol to think differently about the climate crisis.
We asked for positive short stories of no more than 2,050 words, written in English, to be submitted by the deadline on 15 December 2022.
Submissions were subjected to multiple rounds of blind review. The final judging was conducted by a panel of experts.
For more information about the 2022 contest and its partners visit Tirol 2050.
Coming soon!
More details on The Climate Fiction Contest (English & German) 2023.
Analysing hopes and fears for the future
Adults tend to extrapolate their present day lives to create visions of the future, but do younger people imagine their lives through a different lense?
A team at MCI are planning to try and answer this question by conducting a research study on all short stories that are submitted through the Climate Fiction Contests.
The study – conducted by a team of professors and Bachelor students – will analyse explicit and implicit categories of content within the stories to identify patterns of perceptions, scenarios, and expectations that occur.
The results of the quantitative data analysis will support the work of MCI’s Dr Antje Bierwisch. Through her Foresight & Futures Literacy work, she inspires students to innovate and anticipate in order to transform the future.
Read more about this fascinating study!
About
The Anthology Project is the brainchild of Leanne Mills, a British-Australian Professional Writer living in Hall-in-Tirol.
“Being the Editor of The Anthology Project allows me to blend my passion for writing and editing with my goal of making a difference in the face of climate disruption.”
Leanne is also theenglishwordsmith.com who helps Austrian businesses communicate in English with their international customers. She has more than 30 years of experience working with business and government organisations in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the UK.
With a passion for promoting positive visions of the future, Leanne collaborates with Klimafit Österreich, a climate consultancy that helps organisations, groups and individuals talk about and tackle today’s sustainability challenges.
You can reach Leanne via our contact page, or through LinkedIn and Xing.
Partners
Ideas, inspiration, insights
Climate Fiction Judge & Changemaker – Dr Antje Bierwisch
Dr Bierwisch is an intentional changemaker. Through her Foresight and Futures Literacy work at MCI, she inspires students to innovate, anticipate and shape the future.
As one of the Judges for the Climate Fiction Contest & Anthology Project, Dr Antje Bierwisch will read, enjoy, and – along with a panel of other Judges – choose winning entries from the Climate Fiction stories submitted.
How do young people imagine their future lives when storytelling?
A team at MCI are planning to find out! The aim of the MCI study is to identify recurring patterns of thought, ideas about the future, clusters of ideas, and contexts of meaning and argumentation structures across all stories submitted through the Climate Fiction Contest & Anthology Project. Read more…
Strategic Foresight: Making preferable futures a reality – Q&A with Dr Oliver Som
Dr Som’s work in Strategic Foresight encourages Bachelor and Masters students, and executive leaders, to use free-thinking to stimulate innovation and positively impact the future.
Futures Literacy Lab – September 2022
In September 2022, Dr Antje Bierwisch (a Judge of our Climate Fiction short-story contest) delivered the first Futures Literacy Laboratory at the 9th Responsible Management Education Research (RMER) Conference at MCI, Innsbruck. The Labs encourage students to co-create the meaning of sustainability, peace and inclusion where people live, work and play. See Dr Bierwisch’s post on LinkedIn.
Climate Fiction Contest 2022 (in English) for Schools – Now closed!
Life in Tirol in 2050: Optimistic visions that inspire us to act.
TAP: Partnering with the klimakultur.tirol project
Klimakultur.tirol is a climate culture blog that highlights stories about people who use the tools of art and culture to try out sustainable ways of living and doing business in the Alpine region.
Contact
If you have questions, comments, or ideas for collaboration, please get in touch.