Green Stories is running TWO linked competitions on the theme of ‘epiphanies’
- A flash fiction competition for stories under 500 words (deadline 27th Aug 2025)
- A film competition for short films (deadline Dec 2025 / Jan 2026 tbc)
The best short stories from the flash fiction competition will be compiled into an anthology.
Filmmakers will be invited to select a story from this flash fiction anthology to create a short film.
Flash Fiction Competition
The Green Stories Flash Fiction Competition invites writers to submit a story about transformation where a moment of epiphany causes one or more characters to change for the greener.
The transformative realisation could relate to any attitude or behaviour with environmental implications (e.g. food, travel, consumption, gardening, cleaning, etc.), or the story could focus on the benefits of any greener alternative (e.g. environment, health, status, spirit, soul).
A link for submission will be available a month before the deadline. See below for a sample story.
Short Film Competition
The film competition invites filmmakers to select a short story from the Epiphanies Anthology (available 23rd September 2025) to adapt into a short film under 4 minutes.
The films must illuminate the themes of the competition: moments of awakening where attitudes or behaviour are transformed for the greener (e.g. food, travel, consumption, gardening, cleaning etc.).
We hope to arrange screenings of the winning films at one or more film festivals, where audiences can vote on which film most inspires them to adopt greener behaviours either directly or indirectly.
The submission link will be available a month before the deadline (Dec 2025 tbc).
Judging and Prizes
- Our team of judges will pick the best stories.
- Winning stories will be compiled into an anthology*.
- Winning filmmakers will have their films screened at a film festival.
- £1000 (tbc) worth of prizes are available for the films which are chosen to be shown at the film festival.
*If we get sufficient high-quality entries, the anthology will be published by Habitat Press.
Terms and Conditions: Flash Fiction Competition
- To enter the Flash Fiction Competition, submit an original unpublished short story written in English on the theme of epiphanies plus a paragraph explaining how the story inspires greener behaviour.
- Stories must have a maximum word count of 500 words.
- The deadline for submissions is August 27th 2025.
- Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality.
Terms and Conditions: Film Competition
To enter the Film Competition, request the anthology when available and select a short story to adapt into a short film or animation.
Open to all adults (18+) of any nationality. Group submissions are allowed.
The deadline for submissions is 28 January 2026 (tbc).
Films must have a maximum running time of either under 1 minute or under 5 minutes.
Submissions will be judged on creativity, quality and how well they meet the theme criteria.
Sample Story
Slow Travel
‘I’ve always fancied Switzerland,’ says Tom. ‘We could fly into Zurich and then go walking in the mountains. It will be lovely in spring.’
‘Or we could go by train?’ I suggest.
We pour over timetables and shake our heads.
‘No,’ he says eventually. ‘It takes twice as long.’
We’re interrupted by a knock at the door. Tom gets up to see. He returns holding out a book.
I take it and read out the title, ‘Epic train journeys?’
The cover shows a train winding its way through a valley between mountain ranges.
‘It’s from the neighbour,’ he explains. ‘It’s a thank you for looking after her rabbit.’
We turn the pages, delighted. We imagine watching the world go by out of the window, lulled by the rhythmic clickety clack of the rails. The romance of the train.
‘There’s so many epic journeys,’ Tom sighs. ‘I want to do them all.’
‘How about this one?’
I point to a journey across France and Switzerland.
He shakes his head.
‘It’s only five hours,’ he says. ‘Too short.’
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