the competition for the title of storyfest winner is incredibly tough this year. after much deliberating from our committee of judges, we’re excited to announce the best of the best: this year’s storyfest finalists. the winner of each category will be announced at the planet forward summit on april 7. here are our finalists:

most compelling character:

navigating climate change through song: a q&a with pinegrove’s evan stephens hall

ryan bieber, ithaca college

plantita power: microgreens in the district

jennifer cuyuch, george washington university

should you be taking pictures of roadkill?: citizen science aids research efforts

clarice knelly, suny-plattsburgh

‘i built my dream’: southeast asian woman grows local food, cultural acceptance in missouri ozarks

lauren ulrich, indiana university bloomington

most creative story:

‘coastal child’: a video essay on ocean conservation and education

kaitlyn copland, eckerd college

‘coastal degradation through fresh eyes’: a picture book come to life

delaney graham, suny-esf

welcoming our feathered neighbors

paula milenkova and maya thompson, university of california, berkeley

ice plant = climate change

kamryn j you mak, middlebury college

best scalable innovation:

water is life (tó éí iiná): groundwork to solving water inequity on the navajo nation

mckenzie allen-charmley, arizona state university

essay | how trees can save a drowning desert

farzona comnas, george washington university

what does $3 million of seaweed look like?

michaela compo, george washington university

college food insecurity: eating away at student success

connor kuerbis, university of wisconsin-madison

as arizona agriculture runs dry, new irrigation tech could help

diana quintero, arizona state university

best science narrative:

eternity is upstream: a call for salmon habitat protection

claire babbott-bryan, middlebury college

a tale of two mountains: battling climate change and wildfires at home and abroad

ryan bieber, ithaca college

bats are facing an epidemic of their own: white-nose syndrome

helen bradshaw, northwestern university

iso: roommate that pays rent in nutrients & water

michaela compo, george washington university

planting seeds of mental health wellness in the face of covid-19 stressors

poonam narotam, northwestern university

best use of science & data:

breakthrough research takes a step toward converting carbon dioxide pollution into fuel

hannah krantz, george washington university

mammoth resurrection may be a climate solution. should it be?

skylar epstein, george washington university

hope flows through the heart of tucson: the santa cruz river heritage project

halley hughes, the university of arizona

fishing harbors community; development and climate change threaten it

carter weinhofer, eckerd college

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congratulations to all our finalists — and a huge thank you to all the students who entered this year. who will be our winners? watch the summit to find out.