The inaugural “A Story World in 8 Days” competition is in the books!
This indeed will be a first to remember! This was an amazing experience made possible by amazing people. Thank you to both Chris Masson for suggesting, developing, and helping produce the entire competition, and to our amazing guest judge Houston Howard whose transmedia expertise and insight gave our participants invaluable feedback.
Also a huge shout out to our 8 participants. We couldn’t have asked for a better, more talented group of artists for our first competition.
You can watch or listen to the competition in it’s glorious entirety on the Story World Explorers Podcast. Find out what Theme was chosen and what team won!
SPOILER!
Keep scrolling to see the selected Theme and the Winners!
Winter 2026 Theme
Culinary Horror
1st Place
The Cosmic Cookbook of Lucious Crane
When a disgraced fine dining chef reopens his grandfather’s abandoned diner, he accidentally unleashes a Lovecraftian fast food apocalypse – forcing him and his teenage staff to cook their wat across dimensions to cure humanity.
Created by: Mariah Eastman, Nick Jones, Darrel Kennedy, Davence Young
2nd Place
Consumers
In pursuit of maximizing food output, humanity has gone too far with their experimentation on animals – creating a mutant race of farm animals now hell-bent on taking delicious revenge.
Created by: Chris Coon, Maxwell Allen Duncan, Steele Filipek, Amanda Saucedo
Open Registration for Fall!
Did you miss the Winter “A Story World in 8 Days” and wish you didn’t? Well not to worry, register for the Fall!
That’s right, we are running the 2nd iteration to conclude the 3rd season of the Story World Explorers Podcast. Tentative timeframe is early October. Register by clicking the button below to get updates as the year goes on!
Build a World.
Pitch a Universe.
In this transmedia jam, you and your team will dream up a brand-new story world, and then pitch it like it’s the next big franchise. Over 8 days, you’ll create a short presentation that shows how your world works, who lives in it, and how it could come to life across multiple platforms.
You’ll present your world to a panel of judges, showing not just what happens in it, but how it could grow from first fan entry points like podcasts or comics, to long-term expansions like games, films, or series.
Bring your imagination, your team spirit, and your storytelling instincts. By the end, you’ll have built the blueprint of a transmedia universe.
The Jam Timeline
A Story World in 8 Days takes place over, well, 8 days. Over the course of these 8 days, you and your team will go from a simple ‘Theme” to a full-fledged story world. Here’s how it breaks down:
Day 1
We spin the ‘Theme Wheel’ to select the theme all teams will be using to develop their story world.
After the theme is selected, you will be introduced to your team (that’s right, we pick them!) via a breakout room on Zoom.
Day 2 - 7
You and your team work to develop a story world, culminating in a 15 minute slide-deck presentation.
Day 8
All teams present their story world to a 3-judge panel and the Story World Explorers.
15-minute presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A.
After all teams have presented, judges will convene and choose a winner.
Teams will remain in main lobby for conversations with the hosts.
After deliberation, the judges will reveal the winner.
Later that month
The jam will be presented on the Story World Explorers podcast.
Why You Should Participate
A Story World in 8 Days is for creatives of all disciplines to grow their networks and expand their working knowledge of transmedia. Here are just a few reasons you should join us:
Networking
Meeting and collaborating with transmedia storytellers, creatives, and strategists from around the world is vital to your growth. The ability to build lasting connections and potential future partnerships beyond the competition can help you in numerous ways.
One way that we whole-heartly encourage is to engage with judges, hosts, and peers who may offer ongoing guidance or collaboration after the event.
Portfolio-Ready Work
Leave the competition with a complete transmedia Story World concept and deck you can showcase in your portfolio.
Skill Development
Practice rapid ideation, world-building, and cross-platform content design under a deadline.
Professional Feedback
Receive live critique and Q&A from experienced judges, other teams, and podcast hosts.
Fun & Challenge
A creative sprint that pushes you to innovate and produce at a high level in only eight days. As you build out your IP you’ll experience complete creative freedom. One of the core parameters is that all team members have an equal stake and voice in the IP. Don’t let your fear or ego hold you back because an unexpressed idea never gets the chance to be shaped into its best form. No one idea is ever sacred.
Visibility on the Story World Explorers Podcast
Your team’s presentation is published as part of an episode, giving exposure to your ideas and talent.
Exposure to Different Creative Approaches
Many creatives pigeonhole themselves: “I’m a [this], I work best like [that].” However, there’s no one way to create. By working with diverse creative minds, you’ll discover new perspectives and techniques that spark ideas you wouldn’t have found alone.
This contest is about collaborating across approaches, altering your perspective, and forging new creative pathways. All of this to develop yourself into a more collaborative, well-rounded IP developer.
Market Insight
Although this is a creative exhibition, one of the main benefits of transmedia Story World’s is their marketability. This competition helps you gain experience articulating market viability and audience-building strategies. A valuable skill for pitching projects.
