Call for Submissions: BookTok Challenge

BookTok Challenge is a TikTok project celebrating the ideas, creativity and conversations sparked by books. We want to feature content created by participants in The Hopeful Book Club, sharing their perspectives, recommendations, and creative responses to the books we read.

The purpose of the project is to bring the ideas explored through The Hopeful Book Club to a wider audience, inspiring others to read, reflect and engage with themes of hope, resilience and reimagining our futures.

So, if you’ve taken part in The Hopeful Book Club, we want to see your submissions!

Deadline for submissions: Tuesday, 24th November 2026

Formats welcome: TikTok videos / Book Reviews / Recommendations / Spoken Word / Creative Responses / Book Discussions / Trends and Challenges / Other Experiments

What We’re Looking For

We invite submissions that:

Respond to Act, Rest, Reset, Repeat: Create Change Without Burning Out in a creative way.
Engage with ideas such as climate hope, resilience, and reimagining futures.
Align with at least one of TRP’s values, and do not go against any (community, courage, joy, inclusivity and co-design).

Accepted Formats Include

Short-form videos (TikTok-style, vertical video)
Book reviews and recommendations
Talking-to-camera reflections or discussions
Voiceovers, readings and spoken word
Creative responses inspired by a book
Book-related trends, challenges or storytelling formats
Duets, collaborative videos or community conversations
Other experiments are welcome!

You are welcome to submit a piece in your preferred language. If doing so, please provide a version translated into English so we can share a link to this too.

Guidelines

Eligibility: You must be a People, Planet, Pages participant (there’s still time to get involved if you’re not already!).
Who we particularly encourage: We especially welcome submissions from creators who identify as part of marginalised or oppressed communities.
Content: Your submission should relate to a book explored through The Hopeful Book Club, or connect meaningfully with its wider themes.
Format: Videos should ideally be in a vertical 9:16 format, suitable for TikTok.
Length: Aim for 15–90 seconds per video. If you have a longer idea, feel free to discuss it with us before submitting.
Quantity: You may submit one piece of content.
Accessibility: Please include captions or subtitles where possible. Ensure any on-screen text is readable, and consider how your video can be accessed by people with different needs.
Audio and visuals: Please ensure you have permission to use any third-party footage, images or music. Where possible, use original audio and materials you have the right to share.
File formats accepted: MP4 or MOV for video submissions. You may also submit a written script, storyboard or concept if you need support creating the final video.
File naming: Please label your files clearly using the format lastname_firstname_title, e.g. smith_joe_climatehope.mp4.
Use of AI: We are curious about how AI tools can help us imagine hopeful futures and experiment with creative storytelling. We encourage thoughtful use rather than fully automated submissions. If your submission includes AI-generated text, images, audio or video, please indicate this when submitting.

Use of AI. We are curious about how AI tools can help imagine hopeful futures. We encourage thoughtful use rather than fully automated submissions. If your submission includes AI-generated text, images, or design elements, please indicate this when submitting.

Successful contributors will receive:

An honorarium of 2,500 KES for your work.
The opportunity to perform or present their work at our online launch event in January 2027.
Contributors retain full rights to their work. By submitting, you give The Resilience Project permission to print and distribute your piece in both physical and digital versions of this zine, and also to share copies of your work online (with credit) through our social media and website, as well as in all presentations about the Hopeful Book Club programme. Thank you – we can’t wait to see your work!

All submissions will be considered in line with the following criteria:

Relevance and Impact – We are looking for pieces which respond to ‘Act, Rest, Reset, Repeat’ and support the zine’s central idea of building resilience in the climate crisis. Pieces should be engaging, informative, or emotionally resonant, providing a ‘pocket guide’ style contribution to climate activism.
Tone – We are looking for pieces which balance the realities of the climate crisis whilst evoking feelings of hope and community.
Originality and uniqueness – We encourage work that shows a personal or distinctive response to the book / overall theme.
Diversity of perspectives and decolonising narratives – We want to capture a diversity of perspectives. Pieces that challenge dominant, colonial and/or exclusionary storytelling are particularly welcomed.
Inclusivity and Accessibility – We want to ensure as many people as possible can access our zine. Please ensure text is readable and well-contrasted. Please use clear language. Please also consider how the piece will be interacted with digitally.