Call for Proposals:

2025 New Media Writing Prize (NMWP) Annual Unconference
May 13-14, 2025
100% Virtual (Zoom)
https://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/unconference/

Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2025 (extended)

The New Media Writing Prize is an international award for digitally-born writing. The NMWP encourages and promotes the best in new-media writing and is leading the way toward the future of the ‘written’ word and interactive storytelling.

You are cordially invited to our third annual New Media Writing Prize Unconference. This two-day creative and critical participant-directed Unconference is hosted by Bournemouth University (UK) in partnership with the Electronic Literature Organization and the British Library. The Unconference will culminate in the awards evening for the New Media Writing Prize on 14 May 2025.

Unconference Theme: Collaboration

This year’s theme explores the intersections of digital collaboration, inclusivity, and creative innovation. How can we work together across disciplines and geographies to shape the future of digital media? We encourage proposals that address these questions through practical, hands-on activities and engaging discussions.

We encourage submissions that align with the collaborative, hands-on spirit of the Unconference. We are particularly interested in proposals for activities that emphasize participation, creativity, and discussion.

Examples of activities include:

• Live Co-Creation: Collaborative storytelling, netprovs, or group design challenges.
• Hack-a-Thon / Write-a-Thon: Thematic challenges that result in co-created outputs.
• Peer-Led Clinics: Hands-on sessions using accessible tools like Twine, GitHub, or creative software.
• Creative Networking Sessions: Innovative ways to connect participants (e.g., collaboration speed-dating).
• Dialogues in Digital Practice: Lightning talks based in a panel’s research or practice followed by facilitated discussion and creative responses.
• Thematic Breakouts: Discussions or activities exploring subthemes like accessibility or sustainability.
• Quickfire Interludes: Quick creative exercises (e.g., collaborative poems, brainstorming). Researchers could also use these for data collection — try things out on us!
• …and anything else you can think of!

Please note we’ll be limiting single-presenter presentations to 7 minutes or less. This includes artists’ talks.

Proposal submission deadline: 25 February EXTENDED to 15 March 2025, Midnight UTC.

Please see https://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/unconference/ for the full call for proposals and a link to submit your proposal.