[image]
[title]What will Chiang Mai look like 100 years from now? Will flying cars buzz above the moat? Will robots wander the sois? Will the forests have reclaimed the mountains – or will we be living underground in order to escape the smog?
A new writing competition launching as part of Chiang Mai Design Week 2026 is asking the city’s youngest storytellers to imagine exactly that – with a little help from some rather unusual characters from Lanna mythology.
The Lanna Futurism Story Contest
The Lanna Futurism Story Contest, organised by folk futurism collective Agami Folk, invites anyone aged 18 or under to write a sci-fi story imagining Lanna society a century into the future.
Entries should be around 750 words and can be submitted in either Thai or English, meaning both Thai and international youngsters can get involved.
There is a twist, though. Rather than leaving the past behind, writers are being asked to bring two ancient Lanna characters along for the ride.
The main characters
First up is Si Hu Ha Ta, the four-eared, five-eyed wanderer. Its four ears are associated with kindness, compassion, joy and calm, while its five eyes offer the ability to see danger and opportunity before anyone else.
Then there's Tua Mom, the mythical guardian often found protecting the entrances of northern Thai temples, whose powers include summoning rain, incredible strength and keeping evil spirits at bay.
The challenge is to take the wisdom and values behind these characters and imagine how they might help solve the problems of tomorrow. Think climate change, disappearing forests, pollution and drought – but also whatever strange new problems a futuristic Lanna might throw our way.
Entrants can even insert themselves into the adventure, teaming up with Si Hu Ha Ta or Tua Mom as a sidekick, while judges are looking for originality, good storytelling and ideas that explore how people might live more harmoniously with the planet in the future.
The prizes
There’s B5,000 up for grabs, with the winning story celebrated during Chiang Mai Design Week.
The prize-giving takes place at Kalm Village on December 12 alongside kids' workshops and an immersive Lanna-electronic concert. The winning story could also find a second life through Agami Folk's world of music, art and animation.
When do I need to submit?
Stories must be submitted by November 2, 2026. So, young sci-fi writers of Chiang Mai: fire up the spaceship, grab a mythical temple guardian and show us what Lanna might look like in 2126.
Find the full competition details and submit a story at Agami Folk