Imagine a brighter tomorrow… and bring it to life 🌞

To celebrate the recent publication of Solarpunk: Short Stories from Many Futures, we are excited to announce a poster design competition for creatives, designers & artists.

We are inviting you to design a poster inspired by this anthology and the solarpunk movement - a celebration of sustainable, ecological thinking and a brighter future. Each of the authors who have contributed to the anthology have suggested a theme for you to follow, sharing their personal definitions and visions of solarpunk.

What you need to know:

Design a poster inspired by one of the themes outlined below.

We welcome art in any printable medium, whether that be graphic, illustration, printmaking, collaging... whatever suits your creative style!

This competition is open to artists worldwide. You do not have to be an professional / experienced artist to submit your work - just someone with a vision for the future 🐝 

Each winning artist will be awarded with a prize and have their work showcased at the London Book Fair 2025. Subject to agreement, we will also license the work for saleable limited edition posters on our website.

Submission guidelines:

Submit to: solar-punk-art@flametreepublishing.com

• Multiple submissions are fine but must be in separate emails.
• The file with the artwork must be attached to the email (PDF or JPEG).
• Artwork must fit into dimensions 1960 x 1280px
  • Any orientation ie. landscape or portrait is acceptable.
  • Posters do not have to fill the full space ie. a square poster is acceptable.
• Entries must consist solely of original, human-created artwork; pieces incorporating generative AI elements are not eligible. Please see our AI policy here.
• The name of the file must match the name in the email subject line.
• Clearly state the chosen theme in the body of your email.
• Include a short biography and any social media handles in the body of your email.
• Deadline for submissions is Wednesday 5th March.
• If you wish to withdraw your submission at any time, please do so before the deadline.
• We will confirm our selection by Friday 7th March.

Let’s create a future we can all believe in! Good luck 🌱

Themes

Francesco Verso, editor of the Solarpunk anthology & author of 'The Maestro of Small Things':

"Solarpunk is a socio-technological framework developed to transform reality through energy autonomy and food independence, harnessing the power of imagination, grassroots innovation, and frugal creativity. Like science fiction, it experiments with plausible scenarios while promoting decentralized infrastructures, community engagement, and independent thinking."

THEME 1: DIY low-tech to empower communities, look for what JUGAAD means, and apply it to solarpunk.

Lucie Lukacovicova, author of 'Lizard Skin':

"Solarpunk is a genre that softens the sharp hard angles of pure effectiveness, it gives a chance to care, compassion and beauty. Solarpunk life means, that if we work for our future, we won't be left in a ditch to die, because we were "not enough". Solarpunk is a set of ideas and innovations in science and art, that actively search for a way for humans to live without destroying the environment – and each other."

THEME 2: Humanity sharing the living space with plants, in harmony.

Andrew Dana Hudson, author of 'The Lighthouse Keeper':

"Solarpunk is a speculative movement at the confluence of literature, art, innovation, and praxis. The world’s most powerful cultures have failed to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis, and so we need a counterculture (read: punks) that can imagine, demand, and build a more sustainable civilization. At the heart of this movement is a different way of thinking about technology, first by leveraging the tremendous potential of renewable energy to upend old power structures, and then by moving away from tech that favors accumulation and abstraction and toward tech that is sustainable, accessible, elegant and empowers us to build healthier, more meaningful relationships with the living world."

THEME 3: How does solar energy realign how we use our time? Might we have high tech days and low tech nights?

Renan Bernardo, author of 'Anticipation of Hollowness':

"Solarpunk, among other things, is a movement that imagines novel ways of urbanization. How can our cities and homes grow in tandem with the environment? And even if bad things have happened, how can we sprout new seeds over the crumbles of a world that failed? Biophilic designs, urban agriculture, eco-communities, green architecture, and far more. But don't forget the punk! Solarpunk needs to be more than just aesthetics and innovative tech. Solarpunk is all about the people inhabiting these imagined worlds, all about what we can do to live in harmony between ourselves and our systems of existence."

THEME 4: How can we coexist harmoniously and inclusively with nature in a new or adapted urban environment?

Sarena Ulibarri, author of 'The Spiral Ranch':

"Solarpunk is a movement of artists, writers, and activists interested in changing the trajectory of our world for the better. Using collective action, radical empathy, and positive climate messaging, Solarpunks build communities centered around ecological balance and social justice. As a genre of writing and a style of art, solarpunk seeks to alleviate climate anxiety by highlighting the technologies, practices, and people who are making a positive impact on the world today, and by imagining the solutions and possibilities that will help us build better futures for everyone."

THEME 5: How can art itself become a tool to move us toward a more just and sustainable society?

Jerri Jerreat, author of 'Rules for a Civilization':

"Imagine the place where you live, better. There’s only renewable energy, (but have you seen those short vertical wind or river turbines?) Biodiversity is being restored. Social justice is real; people of many cultures work and hang out together. The food you eat was grown organically nearby; you’re growing sprouts by your sink, veggies on your patio balcony or in a community garden nearby. You are best friends with a tree near your window. That is solarpunk to me: a better future, grounded in real solutions."

THEME 6: Can you imagine 15 Minute Neighbourhoods, microgrids from renewable energy with sand batteries, and dancing together outside? Joy.

Jennifer Lee Rossman, author of 'Oil and Ivory':

"Solarpunk is the embodiment of utopia as an attitude rather than a goal. It isn't just a futuristic society where we have solved climate change and achieved world peace and all that good stuff, it's a futuristic society where we continuously try to make things better. Sustainable choices, working with the environment instead of against, and seeing the value in every person no matter their background is what makes solarpunk the pathway towards the utopia it depicts."

THEME 7: Utopia for everyone. What does the future look like when it is designed by and for disabled people, religious minorities, queer people, etc.?

Gustavo Bondoni, author of 'Drawing the Line':

"My love of Solarpunk sneaked up on me and I never realized where it had come from until I sat down to write this. I now realize that when I was a kid, the depictions of the future Earth I enjoyed the most in kid's books were of cities of bluish glass set in wonderful greenery. Somehow the living spaces were at one with the landscape, and there were no clouds of smog or nuclear wastelands in sight. Those images—from more than one source and a myriad of artists—stuck with me and gave me an unshakable optimism about the future. I never had a name for it before. But Solarpunk fits perfectly."

THEME 8: Heroically holding back the desert - one tree at a time.

DK Mok, author of 'The Spider and the Stars':

"Solarpunk is an invitation, a challenge, a door ajar to a better world. It offers us a vision of a possible near-future where humans, and the ecosystems we cherish, are thriving despite the challenges of climate change. It encourages us to imagine a future imbued with joy, meaning, resilience and empathy. A future where science and technology are used appropriately, sustainably, and equitably. Solarpunk is a call to action, a roadmap to the world we want to live in – a world we have the power to build through all the countless small decisions we make today."

THEME 9: What would a joyful, sustainable and equitable future look like for you and your community? What would you be excited to see and experience in a better world?

Brenda Cooper, author of 'For the Snake of Power':

"Solarpunk imagines a world where humanity and the planet thrive together, when the human heart, creativity, and hope have built a community that works for humans and the earth. While it can be set inside or after dystopia, Solarpunk is an unrelenting beacon that encourages us to be intelligent, connected, empathetic, and unselfish.  The twin forces of helpful technology and a mature, loving community drive Solarpunk."

THEME 10: A community that works together in respect for each other and the natural world. Meld creative and supportive technology with humanity and our beautiful, bio-diverse world. Include love.

Thomas Badlan, author of 'Orchidaceae':

"For me, Solarpunk is about envisioning a future of hope and renewal. A future where we only take what we need and return a surplus back to the world. A future where we see and feel that we are an intrinsic part of the natural world and act accordingly. Where we build a society that maintains and supports a world that enables all life and all future generations to exist and thrive and endure."

THEME 11: Solarpunk is about hoping for a better world than yesterday.

Ingrid Garcia, author of 'Have Space Bike, Will Travel':

"If science fiction is the literature of change, then, ideally, Solarpunk is the literature of progress. Progress through proposed solutions that do not need to be 100% correct—if writers could do that, we’d be engineers, innovators and rich—but should inspire the people in the real world to search for these solutions. In dystopias, writers dare to be right but hope to be wrong. Conversely, in Solarpunk, writers hope to be right but dare to be wrong."

THEME 12: Imagine a better future and dare to be wrong!

Need more inspiration? Check out some of the artwork created for the YouthImagineTheFuture festival:

(Click on each image to see the full resolution)

1. Hope Lies Ahead by Rhea Hollingsworth

2. Crowded Table by Caitlin Ball (a linocut of hands passing food - Korean, Ukrainian, Punjabi and Anishinaabek dishes - across a table with the tiny word "Together" carved in each respective language)

3. Growing Community by Jasper Lyon Wicke