Update [as of 1 July 2021]: The pitch window for this pilot is now CLOSED. Thank you to all who submitted.

At New Naratif, we believe that imagining a better world is the first step to creating one. We invite you to start dreaming today! Thanks to a collaboration with the New Museum, we have funding to publish five works of original flash fiction centred around the theme of Speculative Futures in the Climate Crisis. 

Our prompt:

Average temperatures in Southeast Asia have risen every decade since 1960. In the decades to come, the climate crisis is expected to reduce agricultural yields and increase weather disasters across the region. Coastal flooding and resource scarcity could cause untold human suffering, exacerbated by the selfishness of politicians and corporations. 

This is the future that faces us. We dare you to imagine it—to write about and beyond it. Through speculative fiction, we might glimpse a different future for our region, and in doing so, take it into our own hands.

We are open for flash fiction pitches inspired by the theme: Speculative Futures in the Climate Crisis. The pitch window will be open from 1 June to 30 June. For an example of flash fiction commissioned in a similar fashion, check out KL Stories. 

Pitches should include a brief description of the intended piece and a sample of a previous creative work. The sample can be unpublished or published on your personal blog. Please submit your pitch via EMAIL ONLY to pitches@newnaratif.com.

Each completed flash fiction piece should be 300-500 words. Writers will be paid US$50 per piece. Five pitches will be selected. Submissions will be edited by Deborah Augustin and Minxi Chua. At the moment, we are only able to accept pitches and submissions in English.