2nd International Digital Storytelling Festival (DST-Zakynthos 2026)

Resilience is a term rooted in physics, indicating the capacity of a material to absorb energy when deformed and then release it to return to its original state. Applied to humans, resilience describes the ability to be stretched beyond one’s limits and then being able to return oneself again, having overcome these difficulties, thanks to unexpected inner resources. It expresses the capacity to withstand adversity and/or to respond to trauma of varying intensity (Mucci, Resilience and Survival, 2022). Today’s resilience is about building emotional elasticity - a skill we can learn, practice, and strengthen together.

Community resilience is built through stories. Stories help communities survive disruption, identify who they are and imagine what comes next. Through storytelling, people make meaning of crisis, loss, change, existence and recovery. They share knowledge, express care, challenge injustice, and strengthen the social bonds that allow communities to endure and transform.

Within the Digital Storytelling community, story work has long been a practice of resilience. By centering lived experience, amplifying diverse voices, and creating spaces for listening and connection, digital stories empower communities in responding to adversity with creativity, solidarity, and hope. Each story told and shared contributes to collective strength—shaping not only how communities recover, but how they grow more inclusive, just, and connected. We welcome you to join our effort in the transformation of "lived experience" to "collective strength."

For nearly four decades, the global Digital Storytelling community has been dedicated to fostering social justice and equality. We live through stories; they enable us to forge connections and realize our shared desire to live together.

The DST-Zakynthos Festival is organized by four Laboratories from three Greek Universities (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of the Aegean, and Ionian University) in collaboration with the UNESCO Club of Zakynthos. The 2026 edition follows the 12^th International DST Conference in Brazil (November 2025), themed "Lives, Voices and Knowledge in a World on Fire," exploring the power of narrative to address global challenges.

The island of Zakynthos (Zante), referred to by Homer in the Odyssey as hylēessa  (“rich in forests”, Od. I, 21–26), and home to cultural icons such as Dionysios Solomos, Andreas Kalvos, and Ugo Foscolo, serves as the perfect stage for this festival: a place where community-driven stories are shared and critically reflected upon by artists, scientists, and participants alike.

DST-Zakynthos 2026: Official Call for Stories
https://dstfestival.org/2026

To foster discussion around important issues that affect us all, we invite digital storytellers to participate in the festival and submit stories related to the following themes:

• Culture
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Science and Research
• Society

Important Dates & Notifications

• Extended Submission Period: 2 March 2026 – 18 May 16 June 2026
• Decision to Contributors: Contributors will be notified of the screening decision within three weeks of submission.
• Registration of in-person attendance (with or without a story): opening 15 May 2026

Submissions & Selection Process

Screening & Awards Structure

The Festival values every authentic voice and aims to foster meaningful thematic dialogue through the following screening and awards structure:

• General Showcase. All submitted stories that meet the Conditions of Submission will be officially screened during the Festival. (Accepted)
• Thematic Selection (Top 10). For each of the six themes, the relevant Festival Committee will review all accepted stories for that theme and will select ten digital stories to frame the Expert Discussion Panel for that theme. Selections will be guided by principles of inclusion, including age, gender, geography, and language. (Selected)
• Festival Theme Awards (The Focal Story). From the ten selected stories in each theme, the relevant Festival Committee will choose one focal digital story to be presented during the grand finale of the Festival to highlight a global issue. This story will receive the Festival Award for that Theme. (Festival Theme Award)
• DST–Zakynthos 2026 Award. The Festival Committee will grant one accepted story with the overarching DST–Zakynthos 2026 Award reflecting the main theme of the festival. (DST–Zakynthos 2026 Award)

Conditions of Submission

• Authenticity: Digital stories are grounded in the creator’s truth. They are first-person narratives and differ fundamentally from video clips or short films. Every story has its own value.
• Submission Limits: Each storyteller may submit up to six digital stories in total, with a maximum of one story per theme.
• Origin: We accept stories created within recognized institutions or organizations, as well as independently produced works.
• Language & Technicals: Each submission must include English subtitles and a completed entry form available on the website.
• Handling Fees: Standard fee: 30 Euros per story | Student fee: 10 Euros per story.

Satellite Scientific Events

In parallel with the Festival, Satellite Scientific Events (including DST-workshops and Project presentations) will be organized by DST specialists.

More information and specific schedules will be announced soon on the festival website.

We invite you to join us at DST-Zakynthos 2026 and we look forward to seeing you there!

Michail Meimaris, President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Professor Emeritus, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Joe Lambert, President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Chief Listener and Convener, StoryCenter
Pip Hardy, Co-President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Director Pilgrim Projects Limited
Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos, Co-President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Associate Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Burcu Simsek, Co-President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Associate Professor, Hacettepe University
Evika Karamagioli, Co-President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, MSc, PhD, Scientific Associate, MSc Global Health Disaster Medicine, Medical School, NKUA
Tony Sumner, Co-President of DST-Zakynthos 2026, Curatorial Fellow, Narrative Practices Lab, Durham University, Co-founder Patient Voices Programme