The Competition
CCCCC Youth Short Story Competition
Calling all Writers!
Can you imagine a future where our nations are protected from the devastating impacts of climate change?
The CCCCC Short Story Competition invites you to use your creativity to imagine a climate-secure future for the world, drawing inspiration from the Caribbean’s culture, traditions, nature, people and places.
This competition is for you!
Call us optimistic, but we believe the future — in your hands — is a future worth living for and fighting for. This competition asks you to imagine a future where we’ve found solutions to climate change, one of the world’s most urgent challenges.
We’re asking you to look around you for inspiration on how this crisis gets solved. Because the solution for the world could be right here in the Caribbean. With you.
Writers
Submit your 1500–2500-word short story responding to the prompt: “Imagine a climate-secure future for the world. Inspired by the Caribbean.”
Why Enter
The Caribbean climate change story is your story to tell.
Showcase your talent
Get your work read and seen by a distinguished regional panel and a wide public audience.
Regional recognition
Winning entries are celebrated across all 15 CARICOM member states and our partner networks.
Shape climate storytelling
Add your voice to a living archive that influences how the Caribbean talks about climate change.
Get published
Top entries feature in the official CCCCC anthology and across our digital channels.
Details & Eligibility
Everything you need to know before you enter.
Read the guidelines carefully — entries that don’t meet the criteria below cannot be judged.
Theme
“Imagine a climate-secure future for the world. Inspired by the Caribbean.”
Who May Enter
Citizens of CARICOM Countries 18 - 25
Eligible countries
All 15 CARICOM member States: Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Republic of Suriname. Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Resources
Everything you need.
Judging Criteria
How entries are assessed.
A regional panel of writers, editors and climate advocates scores every eligible entry against five weighted criteria. Scores are combined to produce a shortlist per category.
Meaningfully engages a climate-secure future inspired by the Caribbean, demonstrated through clear identification of the problem and evidence of research.
Genuine sense of place, lived experience and human connection.
Meet the Judges
The regional panel scoring your work.
Timeline
Key dates to keep on your radar
July 27
Competition Launch
Submissions open. Guidelines and toolkit go live.
August 23
Submission Deadline
All entries must be received by 11:59 PM MT.
Winners Announced
Winners revealed and celebrated across the region.
Prizes
Competition Prizes
MacBook Neo and other amazing prizes
Grand Prize
MacBook Neo
First Place Winner
- Brand-new MacBook Neo laptop
- Winner’s certificate
- Featured on the CCCCC website
- Regional media & social spotlight
Enter the competition
Submit your entry.
Prizes are awarded for the top three participants for the short story competition. Winning entries will also be featured on the CCCCC digital channels.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Who can enter the competition?
Can I submit more than one entry?
Participants are only permitted to make one (1) submission.
Can I write in Caribbean dialect or creole?
Do I keep the rights to my work?
Yes, you retain full copyright over your submission. By entering, you grant the CCCCC a non-exclusive right to publish, showcase, and share your work for promotional and educational purposes.
Are AI-generated entries allowed?
No. Entries must be the entrant’s own original work. AI-generated writing or artwork is not eligible, though the use of AI tools for grammar checking or minor editing support is permitted.
How and when are winners notified?
Contact Us
Questions? We’re here to help.
Reach out to the competition team for anything about eligibility, submissions or partnerships.
Email us
comms@caribbeanclimate.org
Ayesha Gibson-Gill
Is a Barbadian cultural sector entrepreneur, creative producer, actor, writer, stage and audio director, literary development consultant, tour-guide, sometime vocalist, and full-time mother. She has been a long standing member of the Central Bank of Barbados’ Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Committee, adjudicating the nation’s most prestigious literary prize in addition to coordinating developmental opportunities for local writers. She was Cultural Development Officer for Literary Arts at the National Cultural Foundation Barbados for 9 years, coordinating national literary competitions, business, and educational programmes, developing literary products, and producing and creatively directing multimedia events. She spearheaded the evolution of the distinguished Arts Etc NIFCA Winning Words Anthologies, into a series including a Brazilian Portuguese translation and into the e-book format. Ayesha co-founded and manages the interactive literature design company Story Shyft, which produced the fully dramatised audiobook for the award-winning collection In Time of Need by Shakirah Bourne. Story Shyft also produced the interactive augmented reality enhanced interpretation of a public mural in Bridgetown.
Cindy Allman
Is a Jamaican living and working in Trinidad and Tobago. With over a decade of experience in Media and Communications, she shares her love for everything Caribbean on her BOOKOFCINZ platform. She is a Reading Retreat Host, Library Curator, Book Blogger, Book Reviewer, Book Club Host, Content Creator and the creator of #ReadCaribbean month which aims to create awareness for Caribbean writers. Cindy spends a lot of time travelling and has visited over 60 countries including 10 African countries and 22 Caribbean islands. She is passionate about Caribbean history, culture and its people.
David Nicolas Ruiz
Is a Belizean author, cultural activist, and educator widely known for his folklore-based and historical fiction, often written in Spanish and centred on western Belize. His work plays an important role in preserving oral traditions and cultural memory, particularly stories rooted in the history and identity of Benque Viejo del Carmen. David is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award by the Government of Belize for his contribution in the field of literary arts and community service (2012). Hecurrently volunteers as the Secretary General for the Community of Artists for Cultural & Historical Endeavours (CACHE), a community group founded in 1992. His latest anthology De Lockdown a Countdown (Ti-Puj Publications 2026) unveils the magic of stories ever ancient and ever new, whispered in the alleyways and town squares of old Benque Viejo.
Dike Noel
Is a Trinbagonian communications executive with over twenty years’ experience in corporate storytelling, crisis and emergency communications, stakeholder relationship management, protocol, diplomacy and public affairs. Since 2005, he has developed and implemented integrated marketing and communication strategies and programmes in the public and state sector; regulatory agencies; and regional institutions. He is now at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, serving the Region as Manager, Communications. Dike is a Trinidad and Tobago National (Youth) Award winner for Excellence in Media in 2011, founder of the digital platform, MENtions -Stories About Us and is trilingual.
Dr. Yvonne Weekes (Montserrat/Barbados)
, is a writer, arts educator, and academic. Weekes is the author of Volcano—A Memoir (Peepal Tree Press) and the poetry collection Nomad (House of Nehesi Publishers). She co-authored the poetry collection Pandemic Moments with literary critic Howard A. Fergus. Weekes is the editor of the anthology Voices: Monologues and Plays for Caribbean Actors. The high school literary and earth science textbook Disaster Matters: Disasters Matter was edited by Yvonne Weekes and Wendy McMahon. Her most recent release publication Living Stone is a collection of poems in which she explores the significance of memory and orality. Weekes is a narrator of the award-winning documentary Handsworth Songs. In 2023, she co-directed and produced Newton Unsilenced: a film about the historic Newton Burial Ground, Barbados. Weekes has presented her work in the Caribbean, South America, Europe and more recently in Kenya. Awards and honors include the Frank CollymoreLiterary Endowment Award (Barbados, 2005); Best Director, Barbados Film and Visual Awards (Grief, 2018); the Order of Excellence of Montserrat (Education, Culture, and the Arts. Montserrat, 2024) and the Griot Award for her work on the development of poetry in Barbados. She was awarded an Eccles Institute Fellowship and will present her research and creative project on the Montserrat Jumbie Dance at the British Library in August, 2026.