2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition

For Sustainable Development Goals

The competition is now closed.

Meet the winners of the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for the SDGs!

View the 2020 Winners Gallery

Competition Announcement

For the 2020 annual StoryMaps contest, Esri and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) hosted the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). View the competition winners in the 2020 Winners Gallery.

About Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations’ 17 SDGs are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all and ensure that no one is left behind. They address a multitude of global challenges, including poverty, hunger, inequality, and climate change.

About SDSN and Esri

SDSN connects the global community to address economic, social, and environmental challenges. Esri delivers geospatial solutions for gathering, integrating, and analyzing the underlying data. Their networks, tools, and resources mobilize action for the SDGs.

Stories Inform Outcomes

In partnership with Esri, the SDSN manages a timely data portal, which provides a snapshot of sustainable development and the SDGs right now. It also houses GIS training and educational materials, including stories on SDGs, to inform current and future global leaders.

Meet the winners of the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition for the SDGs

Through the 2020 ArcGIS StoryMaps competition, Esri and SDSN invited storytellers worldwide to solve global challenges through GIS and storytelling. And you responded!

By the numbers:

We received 300+ competition entries from 47 countries in the student and professional tracks combined.
Student submissions spanned 74 schools, 22 countries, and 18 U.S. states.
150+ organizations submitted stories to the professional track.

Which stories stood out above the rest? Our 2020 Storytellers of the Year used innovative storytelling techniques, mapping best practices, and sound data to create solutions-oriented stories about the SDGs.

Our four guest judges for the competition selected first-, second-, and third-place winners in student and professional tracks from the competition finalists.

See the winners in our 2020 Winners Gallery.

Key Dates and Submission Deadlines

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

November 25, 2020
Contest ends at 5:00 p.m. (PDT)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

February 2021

Three winners will be announced for each track.

Prizes

All winners will:

Receive a 2020 Storyteller of the Year certificate
Be featured on the SDGs Today global hub
Be featured on the ArcGIS StoryMaps website

The first and second-place winners also will be included in an ArcGIS Learn Lesson about the SDGs.

The first-place winners will have the opportunity to present alongside Esri’s StoryMaps team and SDSN during a technical session, workshop, or Special Interest Group at the 2021 Esri User Conference.

Requirements

The ArcGIS StoryMaps competition invites story submissions through two tracks.

Track 1: Students enrolled in or accepted to a two or four-year institution of higher education.

Track 2: Professionals or anyone with an ArcGIS user account, including students.

Each participant may submit a single story to only one track. A participant can be defined as an individual (or) a group of individuals submitting one story together.

Competition entries must be submitted during the contest period through the entry form.

Judging Criteria

Esri’s StoryMaps team will select 10 finalists for each track. Our guest judges will select first, second, and third-place winners from the finalists for each track.

Story submissions must be new, original, and address one or more SDGs.

Judges will evaluate each story based on: