As you prepare to tell your story…
Before writing, speaking or videotaping your Edmonton experience, consider:

• What makes Edmonton special to you?
• How has your lifestyle been enhanced by living in Edmonton?
• Was there a particular moment or event that really made things come together for you in Edmonton?

It’s a good idea to review a number of the stories already on the site. You’ll see what they have in common: they all relate personal experiences about what makes Edmonton special. While each story is unique, all stories are told in the context of this extraordinary city. Often the stories describe how the storyteller found career and personal fulfillment in Edmonton in a way that probably couldn’t have happened anywhere else.

Visitors to our website are looking for stories that give them a personalized understanding of what Edmonton is like as a place to work and live, or to visit. Some of the aspects that interest potential newcomers and visitors to Edmonton are:

• What is it that makes Edmonton exciting and vibrant?
• What’s different and interesting about Edmonton?
• Are people open, friendly and welcoming?
• What’s the city’s future economic potential?
• What illustrates the strong community pride and involvement people tend to have in Edmonton?
• Is Edmonton the right size to balance career opportunities and enjoyable lifestyle?
• What is it about Edmonton that makes it a great place to raise a family?
• What does Edmonton offer as a convention location?
• Does Edmonton offer choices in terms the activities and events?
• Can a person have classy, upscale experiences here?
• Does Edmonton have beautiful green spaces?
• Are there a variety of interesting neighbourhoods?

Consider these attributes when you develop your story about what Edmonton means to you.

What medium will you use to share your story?

Text
Take your choice:

1. You can simply type your story straight into the text editor.
2. Copy and paste your pre-written story from a word processing program.
3. Upload your prewritten story via the browser option.

Video

1. If you have a webcam, you can record yourself live. Play back to verify your recording. Accept by submitting the recording. Or, if you’re not satisfied, cancel, and then record again.
2. Upload a pre-recorded video via the browser option, or with a link to a YouTube video. Videos for upload must be AVI, MOV, MPG, or WMV files. For best viewing your video should have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Audio

1. If you have a microphone, you can record your story in audio format. (Stories, poems, and songs are all acceptable.)
2. Upload a prerecorded audio file. Audio files must be MP3 or AAC files.

Upon submission of a story
All contributors must indicate they have reviewed and accept Edmontonstories.ca Terms and Conditions by clicking on acceptance.

An email will be sent back to the contributor to verify the origin of the submission. You will then need to click on a link in the email to verify the submission.

Once the submission has been received, content reviewers will review it for alignment with the site’s objectives to raise positive awareness about Edmonton. Content will be checked for spelling, grammar, and punctuation and edited for clarity and content. Stories submitted during contest promotions will be automatically entered for a chance to win prizes where applicable.

The story will be tagged and uploaded to the correct section on the website. The contributor will receive an email to acknowledge their effort and a direct link to their story page.

Stories review will take up to one week dependent upon volumes. Please note stories submitted in languages other than English will take longer to review.

Acceptance of stories for posting is at the sole discretion of The City of Edmonton.