Humanitarian Storytelling hub 

The Humanitarian Story Circle is a creative storytelling showcase that honours lived experiences from humanitarian and community resilience efforts across Asia-Pacific. The second edition of the event will take place at the Regional Humanitarian Partnership Week (RHPW) 2026 (rhpwasiapacific.com)in Bangkok and is a space for local voices to be seen, heard, and celebrated through stories and experience sharing.

The Humanitarian Story Circle is being organised by Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN)’s (adrrn.net)Digital Storytelling Hub (led by words. rhythms. images.) and the Quality and Accountability Hub (led by Community World Service Asia)(communityworldservice.asia).

The event is open to ADRRN members, civil society actors, youth leaders, community champions, and local humanitarian responders across the region. The Humanitarian Circle is open to everyone, but preference would be given to grassroots-level, experience-based stories, rather than submissions from professional filmmakers and storytellers.

The Humanitarian Story Circle will be a 90-minute showcase session at the RHPW 2026 in Bangkok. Each of the 9 selected storytellers will have up to 9 minutes to present their story in a format of their choice. A part of these 9 minutes should be used to present your story, and the remaining time should be for audience interaction. In addition to the main showcase, a Story Gallery will be set up at the venue throughout the week, featuring selected stories from other participants as an interactive exhibit with digital and printed elements.

A submission form will be available after the submission starts OR if you have a question

• Must be original, grounded in lived experience, and focused on humanitarian action or community-led change. • Personal narratives, community accounts, and stories of impact that show how people navigate crisis, rebuild, or lead change are welcome. • Fictionalised accounts based on real events or community realities may be submitted, as long as they truthfully reflect humanitarian experiences. • Not looking for stories about organisations, project reports, or research summaries.

Stories in any language are welcome. Translation support can be made available to finalists if needed. Formats include: • Short video (upto 3 mins) • Audio story (upto 3 mins) • Photo essay (max. 10 slides/ captioned images) • Creative writing (500-1000 words) • Spoken word/ Live storytelling (upto 4 mins) • Digital Art such as Illustrations, Comics, Collages (upto 10 submissions) Please also include an English summary (100–150 words) of your story, regardless of the format or original language. If your story is selected, we may also request a transcript in the original language to support the translation and subtitling process.

Before you submit your story, WRI will host free online training sessions (dates are yet to be announced).The purpose of the training session is to set a foundation of storytelling for social change among participants so that they can proceed to create impactful stories. Session 1 will cover (Same session will be repeated 5 times to make sure more people can participate): • Basics of storytelling for social change • Crafting authentic narratives • Using your smartphone to record and edit impactful short videos Session 2 will cover (Same session will be repeated 3 times to make sure more people can participate): • Refining storyboards/scripts that you have already worked on • Getting feedback from storytelling experts on your story ideas

You should attend the sessions to learn how to tell your story authentically and powerfully. The training will help you: • Understand the elements of impactful storytelling • Understand why your story is important to share with others • Reflect on how stories can drive social change • Build confidence in presenting your lived experience

We will be sharing a Zoom link with you to register for the sessions once the dates are finalised.

A jury panel of storytellers, humanitarian professionals will assess submissions based on: • Relevance to humanitarian/community themes • Authenticity, clarity, and inclusion • Emotional and creative impact • Technical execution (even if basic)

9 finalists will be chosen to participate in the Humanitarian Story Circle at RHPW 2026.

Yes. All 9 finalists will receive a partial travel grant to attend the event in Bangkok. Accommodation will be completely taken care of.

All finalists will receive: • A stage to showcase their story at RHPW 2026 • Digital Storyteller Award & Certificate • A partial travel grant to attend the event in Bangkok • A chance to be featured across ADRRN, WRI, and CWSA platforms

Yes, submissions are open to everyone. However, finalists will only be chosen from the Asia Pacific region. If you are from outside of Asia Pacific and your story is selected, it will be displayed at the Story Gallery.

Yes. Even if you cannot travel to Bangkok, you can still participate. If you are chosen as one of the 9 finalists, you can nominate someone else who will be at the RHPW to present your story on your behalf, or you can present your story virtually at the event. If your story is selected for the Story Gallery, you can send us your file for display.