Finalists for the 2020 Storytellers of the Year
Building data-driven stories for global change through the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for the Sustainable Development Goals
For this year's annual StoryMaps contest, Esri and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) teamed up to host the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The ArcGIS StoryMaps competition—which closed on November 25, 2020—encouraged storytellers globally to build location-based, data-driven stories that addressed one or more global goals.
The goals of the competition
"Today’s leaders in sustainable development require skills in the rapidly expanding range of geospatial data and GIS tools, as well as the ability to convey geographic information in stories and maps that advance the public understanding.” —Jeffrey Sachs, President, SDSN
A snapshot of your submissions
From August 6 to November 25, 2020, storytellers from around the globe submitted entries created with ArcGIS StoryMaps through one of two tracks.
- Students enrolled in or accepted to a two- or four-year institution of higher education
- Professionals or anyone with an ArcGIS user account
Each eligible submission addressed one or more SDGs and met other competition criteria .
You submitted stories from 47 countries.
Students, your stories represented 74 academic institutions from 22 countries and 18 U.S. states.
In the professional track, your stories included submissions from 151 organizations spanning government agencies, higher education, commercial entities, and nonprofit organizations and NGOs.
And your stories all addressed challenging and pressing issues for communities—from climate change and sustainability to the economic impacts of COVID-19 to social justice and gender equity.
To competition participants, Esri's StoryMaps team and SDSN sincerely thank you for sharing impactful stories and ideas, and for joining the global conversation for positive change.
The twenty finalists
Without a doubt, the highlight of the ArcGIS StoryMaps competition for us was reading the submissions—considering storytelling techniques, effective uses of GIS and the ArcGIS StoryMaps product, and the global goals.
These twenty stories—ten student and ten professional—really stood out and made the finalist list. Meet the finalists and read their stories through the map tour below.
Congratulations, storytellers, and good luck in the final round of judging.
Next steps for selecting our winners
Who will be our 2020 Storytellers of the Year?
Our four guest judges will select first, second, and third-place winners from the finalists in each track. Review the following competition timeline for important dates.
The winning stories will be announced in February 2021. Follow us on @ArcGISStoryMaps and @sdgstoday Twitter for updates.
Meet your guest judges
Our guest judges are leaders in the sustainable development space. Each, with varied skill sets and experience, has spent years contributing to the science, policy, and education that support sustainable local and global communities.
