Frame the Future

Youth on Climate Resilient Kerala

Filmography & Policy Analysis Competition 2026

Extended registration deadline: 30 July 2026

Step out of the classroom.

The Indo-Dutch Research Centre invites student teams to go into communities across Kerala, listen to real voices, and bring back honest answers. Through a short documentary film and a policy analysis report, your team will explore one urgent topic on climate resilience, finding what is working, what is not, and what needs to change.

All qualifying teams will be invited to a public screening and prize ceremony on 19 December 2026, where winning policy briefs will be formally presented to a government representative.

Eligibility

Who can participate?

Team Size

Teams of 2 to 5 students. More than one team is allowed to register from the same college.

Who is Eligible

Open to currently enrolled students from any college or university in Kerala. All disciplines welcome, including law, environmental science, journalism, film, social work, economics, and public policy.

Cross-Disciplinary Teams

Strongly encouraged. Mixing disciplines produces stronger entries. A law student, a journalism student, and a science student make a better team than three from the same class.

What You Submit

One documentary film (max 15 minutes) and one policy analysis report (3,000 to 5,000 words). Both must cover the same chosen topic.

Research Themes

Choose your topic

Teams must select one of the following topics and explore it honestly.

Coastal erosion and fisherfolk communities: are current laws protecting them?

Kuttanad, living below sea level: what does climate resilience look like here?

Flood preparedness: has Kerala truly changed since 2018?

Urban wetlands: how are Kerala's cities treating their water bodies?

Women and climate: how are Kerala's women-led communities responding?

Farming in a changing climate: what are farmers doing and does policy support them?

Forest communities and biodiversity: Wayanad and beyond.

Waste and the city: solid waste management and community responsibility.

Green building and urban growth: is Kerala's construction boom climate-smart?

Climate migration: are people already moving, and does anyone have a plan?

Awards

Prize pool: Rs 1,00,000

Distributed across 8 winning moments.

Best Documentary Film

1st PlaceRs 20,000

2nd PlaceRs 12,000

3rd PlaceRs 8,000

Best Policy Analysis Report

1st PlaceRs 20,000

2nd PlaceRs 12,000

3rd PlaceRs 8,000

Jury Special Awards

Most Impactful Community StoryRs 10,000

Most Innovative ApproachRs 10,000

Key Dates

Timeline

30 July 2026

Registration deadline (extended)

August to September 2026

Fieldwork, filming, interviews, and report writing

15 October 2026

Submission deadline

November 2026

Jury evaluation

19 December 2026

Grand Finale: public screening, prize ceremony, and handover of winning policy briefs

Registration deadline: 30 July 2026

Registration fee: Rs 1,000 per team.

Upon registration, teams receive full competition guidelines, a consent form template, and coordinator contact details.

Questions? Write to indodutch.centre@gmail.com

This competition is part of Project KERST. Films and accounts submitted become part of the Community Knowledge Base that grounds the research.