From September 6 to December 6, 2024, we challenged you and storytellers globally to tell stories about the world you want to see.
And you delivered!
Over 570 storytellers from 58 countries submitted stories in 10 languages to the 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition.
This year's competition has been a testament to the power of storytelling in addressing global challenges. The diverse range of stories, including stories written in ten languages, reflects our participants' incredible talent and dedication.
And your stories just keep getting better and better.
The submissions show exceptional maturity, skill, and art. Custom themes and separators are the norm rather than the exception. Map and media choreography compete with map actions for a robust reading experience. And you integrate stories with maps, web apps, and other GIS functionality seamlessly.
The stories represent voices from across geographies and cultures. They tackle big challenges and tough topics. They rethink history, literature, and storytelling itself.
Thank you to our many competition entrants, whether you’re recognized as a finalist here or not. We appreciate you and your good work. From digital humanities to planning and infrastructure stories, you built the world that you — and we — want to see.
Read the stories that stood out to us — with artful storytelling and GIS techniques plus innovative approaches to this year’s competition categories. Then vote for your favorite story.
"The POET team and the NJTPA participated in the competition to highlight the role of placemaking, placekeeping, and storytelling as essential tools in community-driven planning. By amplifying local histories, these approaches empower communities to shape their future while honoring their past."
—About Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk, Digital humanities and popular culture finalist
DIGITAL HUMANITIES AND POPULAR CULTURE
Professional track
- Braceros Across the United States – Mexico Border
- Nekketsu Takei’s Hawai’i
- No more stolen ancestors
- Olof Hanson’s deaf agency through architectural design
- Regional religious systems in Hangzhou China
- Route 66 Postcard Road Trip
- Springwood Avenue heritage walk
- The snowman race
- William Thompson, convict
Student track
"The global environmental and sustainable development challenges we face today require an understanding of the root causes driving them and the various interdependent systems at play. While the problems can seem daunting on a global scale, place-based data storytelling allows us to better identify high-risk communities and build socially inclusive climate solutions that can transform the agricultural value chain."
—About From run-off to regeneration, Health and safety finalist
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Professional track
- 2023 Controlled substance prescribing in West Virginia
- A rural Illinois community fights back against factory farms
- From run-off to regeneration
- Gun violence in Toronto
- Mercer County, NJ food insecurity index
- The connection between public health and land use
- ‘The last thing our community needs’: LNG in Chester, PA
- Tucson equity priority index
- Urban forestry: Public health in action
Student track
"We hope these stories could inspire women everywhere in the world that small initiatives could have a huge impact on households, communities, and the global environment."
—About Seeds of resilience, Humanitarian and disaster response finalist
HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER RESPONSE
Professional track
- After the shocks
- Attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure
- Drone-based aerial mapping of landslide
- Echoes of nature: Waters rising, forests falling, a biodiversity crisis
- Hurricane Helene Disaster Response, City of Hendersonville, NC
- Hurricane Helene: A tale of two states
- Rebuilding rides: A community’s comeback
- Seeds of resilience
Student track
"My favorite part of GIS is its ability to translate big data into compelling, accessible visuals. A story allowed us to share that information sequentially, a little at a time, and bring the region to life for reviewers and the public alike."
—About Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape, Planning and infrastructure finalist
PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Professional track
- Breaking point: The state of tribal forestry today
- Broadband stories from the Arizona community
- Head above water: São Tomé and Príncipe’s path to flood resilience
- Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape
- May I walk you home?
- Nationwide accessibility analysis
- New neighbourhood Mlynske Nivy
- Prague for one night
- Charlotte Future 2040 Community Area Planning — Phase 3: Supporting the Vision
Student track
"We participated in this year’s ArcGIS StoryMaps competition to showcase how communities in Tanzania—supported by a vast network of partners—are using GIS to address human-elephant coexistence and strengthen habitat connectivity. Featuring the stunning photography of Marcus Westberg, this story highlights the people on the frontlines: local people working every day to protect both wildlife and human livelihoods."
—About Charting a Path to Human-Elephant Coexistence in Tanzania, Nature and physical science finalist
NATURE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Professional track
- 30-Year Impact Report
- Ancestral footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument
- Charting a path to human-elephant coexistence in Tanzania
- Connecting Orangutan Landscapes – Sumatran Orangutan Society
- Discovering San Juan Island’s natural diversity
- National Huemel Corridor
- Lower Colorado River Habitats
- Protecting tropical peatlands
- Volcanoes National Park’s life-giving forest
- Watershed protection benefits in the Upper Neuse River Basin
Student track
- Crossing nets
- Chronicles of the dune
- Exploring the Olentangy River Watershed
- Restoring harmony
- Searching for butterflies: The West Virginia White
Visit our 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition story to explore the finalists geographically and read biographical information about the authors.
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