“Our Future, Our Water, Our Stories”
A story writing competition for children and young adults.
The competition, open to young writers aged nine to 17, invites participants to explore their thoughts about water in a story that imagines the future.
Participants are encouraged to reflect creatively on the role of water in the world to come, expressing their ideas, hopes, and concerns in their own imaginative way.
This international competition is part of ongoing research at FAU in Germany and University of Birmingham in the UK, aiming to raise awareness of the climate and water crises that urgently shape our world.
Purpose of the Competition
The project has two key goals:
- Inspiring creative engagement – encouraging young people to think imaginatively about the future of water.
- Supporting research – collecting stories for a dataset used to analyse how young writers talk about water and environmental futures.
This work forms part of the PhD research of Andreas Wagner in the Text and Language Lab, led by Prof. Mahlberg and funded through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Collaboration in Birmingham
During Andreas Wagner’s DAAD-funded research stay at the Birmingham Institute of Sustainability and Climate Action, the competition is supported by Prof. David Hannah, who contributes in his role as UN Chair of Water Science.
The competition runs from early March 2026 until 30 September 2026.
Partners
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