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Story Seed Library

Art Collab 2026: Disaster Preparedness, Response and Relief

Andrew Sage (Andrewism)
, 
Paweł 'alxd' Ngei

Description
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Welcome to the 2026 edition of the collaborative solarpunk art project! This year’s theme is Disaster Preparedness, Response and Relief, focusing on finding hope, connection and meaning when facing natural and human-made calamities.

The goal of the project is to welcome everyone to collaborate together, share ideas and get inspired by each others’ works! This is not a contest - there are no prizes and no winners, outside of everything we learn from each other and the visions of a better world we create!


Join the Art Collab Discord

Livestream
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Slides by alxd

Submission Guidelines
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  • All entries must be submitted by or before 30th June 2026.
  • Artists may submit as many pieces as they’d like. In fact, the more the merrier.
  • Artwork may be traditional or digital.
  • Traditional artwork must be digitally scanned, not photographed.
  • Artwork must not be AI-generated or contain AI elements (backgrounds, textures, etc…). We might ask you to tell us about your research, process, or share some progress pictures.
  • Artwork must be colourised.
  • Artwork may not depict anything of an NSFW nature.
  • All artwork must pertain to the theme “Disaster Preparedness, Response and Relief” (see theme guidelines below)
  • Artwork must be submitted to the email address with the subject “SOLARPUNK ART 2026” A brief description of the work would be appreciated.
  • Submitted artwork should be licensed under Creative Commons BY 4.0 or Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. You can learn more about them here.
  • Submitted artwork may be included in a livestream on the main channel and video on the side channel, as well as being published on Tumblr and on Story Seed Library. By submitting artwork, you consent to your work being shared in this manner with due credit. We reserve the right to decline submissions.
  • Artists should include what, if any, credit they would like to have included in the final showcase.

Theme Guidelines
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Disaster Preparedness, Response and Relief
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Even in the most optimistic scenarios of carbon neutrality, the XXI century will be full of climate disasters our civilization, culture and infrastructure are not prepared for. Let’s step away from clean, utopian Solarpunk worlds and roll our sleeves to face the consequences of our past.

How can a better Solarpunk world react to the coming disasters? How will our daily lives change? What new or repurposed infrastructure will keep us safe? What new traditions will we need to guide us? What stories will we tell ourselves to make sense of the world that has changed so much?

Let’s imagine more than just the rising waters: the droughts and fires, the sudden floods and pandemics, loss of infrastructure and supply chains we take for granted.

Finally, for the Disaster Relief, how can we step away from our colonial habits and imagine giving the survivors agency instead of handouts? How can we empower communities to rebuild after a catastrophe, find solace in each other and grieve those lost?

Touchstones
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  • Get inspired by real stories - there is a multitude of reports of communities pulling through, but few of them reach the popular culture.
  • Contrast hope with adversity - don’t shy away from the struggle, grief and loss. Our optimism has value only when we acknowledge the hardships we’re facing.
  • Living with disasters - envision how the ever-present possibility of upcoming disasters shapes our communities, cultures and infrastructures. We remember them not only as they happen, but rebuild mindfully and prepare for the next one.
  • Solidarity, not charity - no matter where in the world the disaster happens, we are not unaffected or above it. Mutual aid teaches us to see ourselves as a part of the helping network, not just an external actor sending used clothes. Avoid voluntourism.
  • Community instead of heroes - it’s not singular people or even specialized groups that save others in a Solarpunk future. We all help protect each other with what skills they have. Sometimes you need to grab a shovel, but a good organizer or a radio technician are as necessary as any firefighter.
  • Focus on people, not tech - no matter what ingenious new devices get invented, they will never save others on their own. We are looking for stories of communities, not gadgets or magical technologies.

Skills useful during a disaster
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  • Medical & non-medical plant identification
  • First aid and medicine
  • Food preservation and storage
  • Water purification
  • Sewing
  • Electrical engineering
  • Ham radio
  • Compass / map reading / sky reading

Resources
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Real Life Projects and Stories
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Non-fiction Books & Essays
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Fiction
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Need more ideas? Applicable Story Seeds
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Andrevism videos
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Previous Collabs
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Background art by Scandinavian101

Author
Andrew Sage (Andrewism)
he/him | I want to learn and explore as much as possible | Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹
Author
Pawel ‘alxd’ Ngei
he/them | solarpunk hacker | the curator of SSL | Poland