FEstival Guidelines

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Anyone in grade 7 - 12 can participate.

No, any student who lives in the region covered by the Limestone and the Algonquin and Lakeshore District School Boards may participate. It doesn't matter where you go to school or if you are homeschooled.

Stories should be between 500 and 2000 words.

Sadly, no. No supernatural powers, no magical woodland creatures, no invisibility cloaks. We want to learn about real inventions and nature-based solutions that will improve our future. Your story can be in any style - romance, mystery, adventure, etc. but it should not use magic to solve our climate problems.  Note: if you include a future technology that  is believable, (based on today's tech), that's great.  Save your awesome magic ideas for your next story! It can be set slightly in the future! We suggest set it 5 or 10 years ahead while everyone is working hard to make their communities more resilient to the Climate Crisis, and moving far away from fossil fuels.

This is not the place to have excessive violence, blood and guts,--or sex scenes, no matter how romantic. Keep it clean. These are stories written by Youth, for Youth. Repeat: Keep it clean. Also, skip the curse words. Be inventive. Create a new one for the future and have a sense of humour, you nerk!  

Yes.  Translations from any other language are welcome!  We apologize that we aren't able to translate Indigenous languages, although we'd love some words sprinkled in the story! The same apology goes to our French youth.

Painting, drawing, sculpture, weaving, sewing, woodwork, collage, original photography and more can be entered.  Use fabric, old clothing, try reusing something in your art. The only limit is size; we can accept entries approximately 1/2 metre cubed - it should be able to fit on a regular classroom desk.  A student sewed a cape of old blankets from a "Buy Nothing" event and painted it to look like a moth. Another  student created a sculpture on a lathe! 

We cannot currently accept video entries. Sorry!

We can accept entries approximately 1/2 metre cubed - 50 cm by 50 cm by 50 cm. It should be able to fit on a regular classroom desk. If you have a vision of something a bit bigger, send us an email and we can talk.  There might be room!

You need to complete a Google sumission form and attach your story. All the details are on the "How to Submit Your Work" page.  Only if the Google submission form does not work, should you use the older form on here. That one you print, fill out, and email photos of it to us with the story. This year artists do not have to send photos of their art. We will pick them up the first week of November at your school or arrange with your teacher or guardian a pick-up.