The Storyfest winners’ stories reflect the transitions that Iceland is currently navigating. During their travels, each student gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of Iceland’s position in the global green energy arena, their national identity as a model for green policies, and the teeming ecosystems of Iceland’s cliffs that can seem so barren from afar.

These stories will cover the ecology of one of the world’s youngest islands, the stories Icelanders tell about the land and their relationships to it, the impact of melting glaciers, among more topics that hold great significance to our global response to climate change. Check back here for each student’s story and their personal reflections on their time in Iceland.

Editor’s Note: Lindblad Expeditions, our Planet Forward Storyfest Competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. Icelandair also generously provided airfare to the competition winners. All editorial content is created independently. We thank Lindblad Expeditions and Icelandair for their support of our project.