Curiosity is at the heart of humanity. The drive to better understand the mysteries of our world has invited storytellers to illuminate groundbreaking knowledge and the world’s wonders, and brought us closer together. Through this call for proposals, the National Geographic Society will invite storytellers to delve into some of these big questions – questions we’ve wrestled with for millenia, and questions that are only just emerging.

Every day, we are inundated with media – print, digital, broadcast and film – that influences our thoughts, conversations and public discourse. Too often, the media values sensationalism, treating knowledge as a commodity or a weapon to fuel fear, division and anxiety in the public discourse. In contrast, in its highest form, storytelling has the power to disseminate knowledge, prompt deep conversation and spark curiosity around the greatest questions of our time. The Big Questions on human flourishing, structures of reality and origins of life are key to understanding humankind’s purpose and place within the universe.

Supported by the John Templeton Foundation, The National Geographic Society seeks innovative photography, short film, writing, data visualization and other storytelling proposals to help people consider some of the greatest questions of our time.