Calling all storytellers! Come and join our workshop on global storytelling

Global Stories: a free story-writing workshop – Tuesday 10 November –  1 PM – 2 PM GMT

Are you a budding storyteller? Perhaps you are interested in Global Citizenship but want to find ways of explaining it to your friends. Join Cymru Global and Our Shared World for a free workshop introducing the Global Stories competition, a part of Global Education Week 2026. If you would like to join our workshop, sign up here Global Stories: a free story-writing workshop Tickets, Tuesday 10 November  •  1 PM – 2 PM GMT | Eventbrite

This November, the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe are inviting people of all ages to write a short fiction story as part of their Global Stories competition for Global Education Week 2026 UK Global Education Week Coordinators, Cymru Global and Our Shared World are running this free workshop introducing the Global Stories competition and offering prompts and activities to bring the theme of critical thinking to life in your storywriting.

This will take place on Tuesday 10th November, 13:00 – 14:00 GMT and is aimed at all ages from 7 years old+.If you can’t attend the workshop at this time, you can register to receive the recording after the event finishes.

The Global Stories competition

Throughout history, fiction has been one of the most powerful tools for shifting perspectives and sparking empathy. Your story should focus on a topic related to global education, human rights or sustainable development, such as freedom of speech, refugees’ rights, democracy, peace, gender equality, environmental justice, or digital rights.

Beyond the wide range of topics that may be explored, two principles are essential:

Critical thinking must be the central thread woven throughout your story, as this year’s Global Education Week places special emphasis on this theme.
Fiction must be the vehicle: the message must be conveyed through a story, not an essay.

All ages are welcome to enter, and stories can be submitted by individuals, groups, schools, or organisations.The judges will be looking for three things:

Impact: Can you write a compelling story that makes readers stop and think? (60 points)
Originality: Can you bring a fresh, unique angle to your chosen topic? (20 points)
Clarity: Is your story’s message clear and accessible to a wide audience? (20 points)

Your story also needs to be:

Up to 3,500 words long
Written in English or French
Submitted in PDF or Word format by 22nd November

All entrants will receive certificates, and the winning story will be:

brought to life as a graphic novel by a professional illustrator.
published as an official Global Education resource in printable and downloadable formats.

To enter, participants must submit their story to: global.education@coe.int and then fill in the accompanying submission form.

You can find out more information about the Global Stories competition here, and about Global Education Week here.

This initiative is organised in the context of the Global Education Week, an awareness raising initiative implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the Global Education Network in the framework of iLEGEND III, a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe: co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe