we’re thrilled to announce the 2026 planet forward storyfest finalists! 

this year, we received an incredible 237 submissions — and after careful review, our editorial team selected 24 standout stories to advance as finalists.

students from over 50 post-secondary institutions entered this year. among our finalists, 18 schools are represented.

these stories were selected for their originality, strong production quality, compelling narratives, and credible reporting grounded in data, research, and original interviews. they highlight environmental ideas and innovations shaping our future, across a diverse range of places and perspectives.

with so many exceptional entries, we’re also recognizing a group of honorable mentions — outstanding work that deserves the spotlight and is eligible for the fan favorite award.

what’s next?

• independent judges will select one winner in each category.
• fan favorite voting is now open! vote once for your top story by 5pm et on april 15. the winner earns a spot on this summer’s storytelling expedition to east greenland.
• all winners — including fan favorite and the staff select “framing the future award” — will be announced on friday, april 17 at the planet forward summit in washington, d.c.

thank you to everyone who entered. the future is bright — and these storytellers are leading the way.

best short video

• bringing back the giants: sturgeon restoration in the milwaukee river watershed | cameron armendariz, university of wisconsin – milwaukee
• rooted in trust: how rutgers university researchers and nj farmers collaborate to shape the future of basil | evan leong, rutgers university
• patched wings: meet the dc organization racing to turn off the lights and save birds | andrew mccabe, george washington university
• inside the hive: alamance county beekeepers and their fight for honeybee survival | lilly molina, elon university
• broome county’s fight against fracking | mariel flint & margaret ryan, suny esf
• changes by the sea: what we can learn from estuaries | shaniya utamidata, rutgers university
  
  honorable mentions

• the toxins downstream: inside the race to develop pfas detection technologies | abbey leibert, suny esf
• air pollution drives bridgeport residents to empower community | isaac moore, suny esf

best social video

• plogging: the 1% movement for the philippines | jhun-jhun agustin, brigham young university
• invasive species removal at trestles beach | elizabeth gonzalez, george washington university
• perspectives on food waste | mahika jhamvar, george washington university
• making sustainable sand dune art | zarina morgan, drexel university
• farmers markets: food that stays close to home | olivia nygaard, university of wisconsin-madison
• the reality of trash | zenora faulknor, george washington university

best multimedia story

• rising seas, fragile communities: how climate change is rewriting the uk’s coastline | jey draper, teesside university
• photo essay | wildlife of the pacific northwest | auriana dunn, university of utah
• the present tense of a cornfield | tommey jodie, university of arizona
• essay | argentina’s glacier law under fire: fifteen years after a global first | shayah kosak, middlebury college
• our windows are killing birds. here’s how to save them | madeline shaw, new york university
• a dark disconnection: light pollution’s impact on indigenous peoples | tru west, institute of american indian arts
  
  honorable mentions

• translating a foreign landscape: reflections from patagonia | will hinkle, middlebury college
• creating healthier communities through hydroponic farming | jenna outcalt, university of connecticut

best written story

• the nosara monkey bridge project is saving howler monkeys in costa rica | kailey aiken, university of tampa
• essay | respect the rut: the challenge of ethical elk viewing in colorado | ashley glasco, colorado state university
• intentionally taking in nature, forest ‘bathing’ provides healing | cameron glymph, florida state university
• bolstering science education at hbcus, one slime mold at a time | sylvia leggette, tuskegee university
• brazilian women make a stand for water at cop30 | alexia massoud, george washington university
• how traditional practices are helping protect minnesota’s last moose | avery tilley, university of georgia
  
  honorable mentions

• from waste to wildflowers: chicago native garden projects cultivates community on a forgotten slope | emma henry, northwestern university
• how to save an underwater forest | clair sapilewski, american university