The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Division of Coastal Resources Management (DCRM) would like to announce an opportunity for the general public to participate in a series of competitions hosted by The Living Archive, an organization based out of Australia that provides a platform for individuals to tell stories and raise awareness about extinction in their communities.
Storytellers of all ages from the Marianas are welcome to participate and are encouraged to submit their story as it pertains to the loss of plants, animals, and places in the CNMI. Writers, filmmakers, artists, poets, cultural practitioners, students, farmers, conservationists, activists, can all submit their stories in their own unique way.
Stories can be submitted through written texts, such as short narratives, poems, or essays, short audio or video accounts, artworks, or photo essays, as long as the story is accessible, engaging, and captures some aspect of the significance of a disappeared or disappearing plant, animal, or place.
Individuals from Australia, Hawaii, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Guam and CNMI will all be participating in the competition and a winner will be selected from each region.
There are two categories, a young storyteller category (17 and under) and a general best story competition. The winner of each category will be awarded $150 AUD (Roughly $100 USD) in prize money and the deadline to submit is on August 31, 2020.
For more information and to see submissions guidelines, please visit their website at https://www.extinctionstories.org/2020/05/28/competition2020/ or call DCRM at (670) 664-8300.
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