Learning from Nature

Deadline: February 1, 2016

For an upcoming issue, Creative Nonfiction is seeking new essays about LEARNING FROM NATURE.

The natural world has long been a source of inspiration. We’re interested in stories about how we learn from nature—whether it’s airlines developing boarding methods based on movement in ant colonies or aviation engineers studying eagles’ wings in order to build more aerodynamic planes; new-age fabric inspired by pine cones or energy-efficient skyscrapers modeled after termite mounds. We’re looking for well-crafted narratives that will illuminate the relationship between humans and the environment, particularly as we face the challenges of climate change. 

Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with an informative or reflective element and reach beyond a strictly personal experience for some universal or deeper meaning. We’re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice; all essays must tell true stories and be factually accurate.

The Biomimicry Center at Arizona State University will award $5,000 for best essay, and Creative Nonfiction editors will award $1,000 for runner-up. All essays will be considered for publication in a special “Learning from Nature” issue of the magazine to be published in fall 2016.

Guidelines:  Essays must be previously unpublished and no longer than 4,000 words. Multiple submissions are welcome, as are entries from outside the United States.

A note about fact-checking: Essays accepted for publication in Creative Nonfiction undergo a rigorous fact-checking process. To the extent your essay draws on research and/or reportage (and it should, at least to some degree), CNF editors will ask you to send documentation of your sources and to help with the fact-checking process. We do not require that citations be submitted with essays, but you may find it helpful to keep a file of your essay that includes footnotes and/or a bibliography.

You may submit essays online or by regular mail:

By regular mail

Postmark deadline February 1, 2016.

Please send manuscript, accompanied by cover letter with complete contact information including the title of the essay and word count; and an SASE or email address for response to:

Creative Nonfiction

Attn: LEARNING FROM NATURE

5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202 

Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Online

Deadline to upload files: 11:59 pm EST February 1, 2016
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To submit, please click here. (Note: There is a $3 convenience fee to submit online.)

>via: https://www.creativenonfiction.org/submissions/learning-nature