"Count Us In" Creative Open Call

What or who do you want to protect most from the effects of climate change?

For February, the month of ‘love’, Count Us In are inviting artists and illustrators to submit new or existing work in the form of a single image to inspire people to consider: What or who do you want to protect most from the effects of climate change?

Selected entries from the open call will be published as part of an Instagram takeover on the Count Us In Instagram account from Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

What is Count Us In?

Count Us In is a radical collaboration by over 70 organisations around the world (and growing) including TED, the EU, Tottenham Hotspur, IKEA, the Olympics and many more. Our aim is to inspire 1 billion individual citizens to take practical actions to reduce their carbon pollution and place pressure on leaders to make bold the changes needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change over the next decade. We will achieve this through Count Us In soft-launched in late 2020 with big ambitions for 2021. See www.count-us-in.org for more information on the project.

Creative Tips: What makes great climate communication? 

This open call is designed to inspire change and ignite action! Based on our our research here are some top tips for your image submission:

1. Uplift! Research tells us that when it comes to climate, imagery and messages of doom and despair can actually be ineffective. The Count Us In approach is about highlighting the positives that will come if we act now. Consider optimistic, celebratory or even humorous angles.

2. Think local:  Make it personal and close to home. It could be a place (local park where you hike) an animal (your cat!), an experience or a relationship. 

3. Be Specific: Research also tells us humans respond to specifics - so the more detailed you are about what you want to protect, the clearer your message will land. 

4. A clear message: Be creative but bear in mind an abstract image or generic (albeit beautiful) landscape may not be the most effective at communicating your message. Something figurative, graphic or with people may be more useful. 

5. Avoid climate cliches: Decades of campaigns about polar bears and burning planets mean that - even if it's true - those messages are less effective at getting people to pay attention.