Tractor Beverage Company, the planet-first drink brand that's USDA Organic Certified, is launching something other than a new beverage. Tractor Beam is a quarterly online publication debuting in early 2025. Its mission? To explore bold, optimistic futures where regenerative farming and soil science inspire how we live and thrive on the planet.
Welcome to the world of soil-based climate fiction, a new take on Sci-Fi and Cli-Fi that asks: What if the path to a better world is beneath our feet? Tractor Beverage Company is calling on writers and artists to imagine futures where our relationship with the earth is radically transformed—blending ancient, earth-rooted wisdom with visionary thinking that dares to bridge the "Hope Gap." In a time where many feel disconnected from solutions, Tractor Beam is inviting inspired protagonists—creators like you—to help craft stories and visuals that close the gap between reality and our most audacious visions of the future.
"At Tractor, we're focused on possibilities," says Duke Stump, chief brand officer for Tractor Beverage Company. "Tractor Beam isn't just a call for innovation; it's an invitation to reimagine our relationship with the land and one another. Think of it as a future Farmer's Almanac, exploring a world where regenerative practices and harmonious living with the earth take center stage. It's about inspiring hope—encouraging a new generation of thinkers and dreamers to bridge the Hope Gap and turn imagination into action.
Tractor Beam is now open for submissions of short stories and graphic novellas that explore how regenerative agriculture, soil science, and earth-centered practices can shape the future. This new genre—soilpunk —positions the earth as a central character in the fight for a sustainable, thriving world. Whether you envision a post-climate-crisis society rebuilt on sustainable farming or a future where the soil holds the key to human survival, the quest is for stories that inspire hope and challenge conventional thinking.
Winning submissions will receive $1,500 in three categories—Prose, Narrative Illustration, and Judge's Choice—selected by a panel of climate-focused creators:
Paul Goodenough, Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and founder of Rewriting Extinction, an initiative merging storytelling and activism to protect biodiversity and inspire environmental action.
Joycelyn Longdon, an award-winning environmental justice researcher and climate educator, has been invited to speak on topics such as environmental justice, regenerative design, green technology, and climate colonialism by The United Nations Geneva Dialogues, Channel 4, Cheltenham Science Festival, Oxford University, and The Design Council, as well as becoming a recent TEDx Alumni. She was the 2022 winner of the Emerging Designer London Design Medal and was most recently featured in British Vogue's December 2023 'Forces for Change' Issue.
LinYee Yuan, founder and editor of MOLD, a critically acclaimed print and online magazine about designing the future of food, and an instigator of Field Meridians, an artist collective creating tools for ecological resilience through social practice.
Submissions are due by Nov. 22, 2024, with winners announced on Dec. 16, 2024.
Supported by Tractor Beverage Company, the first USDA Organic Certified beverage brand in food service, Tractor Beam reflects the company's commitment to sustainable food systems and inspiring new ways of thinking about organic and regenerative farming.
Submit your work and learn more.
