Storytelling Power 2026
STORYTELLING POWER 2026
This year's theme: EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
Berättarkraft aims to encourage and develop oral storytelling in Västerbotten. Those who apply and are accepted will have the opportunity to develop their own story based on this year's theme. This will take place through two different workshops, the first focusing on finding the story and the second on how to tell it. The goal is to find a story of about 10 minutes that will be presented during the Berättarkraft final on October 17 in conjunction with the Storytelling Festival in Skellefteå.
EVERYTHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
We all walk around with our background thoughts of little ideas and feelings that never really let go. They follow us in silence, sometimes as light as laughter and sometimes so heavy that they almost crack our chests.
It's the promise of that trip that always started with "we really should..."
or the dream of starting salsa lessons. The band you and your best friend started in eighth grade.
The best band in the world, without any instruments, without any songs, without any rehearsals. But the logo, the
still stuck somewhere behind your ribs.
And then there's that other thing. The child who never came. The reconciliation that was always "for later" until there was no later left. Or the love that didn't get the right season, the move that never happened, the job we never applied for, and the courage we couldn't find at that moment. That version of ourselves that still sits on the edge of our consciousness like a sketch of how things couldhave been.
When we think about everything that never happened, it can warm us as much as it hurts.
So maybe that's why we sometimes suddenly tell stories: about the almost-kiss that disappeared in the bus's brake lights, about the friend we never got to say sorry to, about the puppy that got a name but never a home, about the life we see flashing by when someone else takes the step we never took ourselves.
And perhaps it is in those stories — in everything that never happened — that we discover what we still long for.
Berättarkraft 2026 seeks out those moments.
This year's fellows will meet on three occasions:
August 22–23 – Workshop “Finding Your Story,” Sara Kulturhus in Skellefteå
September 19–20 – Workshop: “How Can I Tell My Story,” Sara Kulturhus in Skellefteå
October 17 – Final . Everyone gets to present their story at the Storytelling Festival in Skellefteå
Participating in Storytelling Power is both fun and challenging. We guide and provide tools from idea to finished story. Together with the other fellows, you get to listen, tell and give feedback throughout the process.
We who lead the work are called Lillemor Skogheden and Theresa Eriksson and we work at Västerbottensteatern.
For whom:
Registration is open to anyone who lives in Västerbotten and is at least 18 years old.
If you have previously participated in Berättarkraft, you are welcome to apply again, but we will prioritize new applicants.
LAST APPLICATION DATE: May 15, 2026
Your application will form the basis for the selection of this year's scholarship recipients. Be careful with your answers and help us understand why you in particular should be included.
Welcome with your registration here >>>
Selection criteria
Each year, 6 to 8 scholarship recipients are selected. We place great importance on applicants having a desire to tell stories and develop their oral storytelling skills, regardless of whether you are a beginner or have tried it before.
If you are accepted, you will participate in the entire process, develop your story, and present it to an audience on October 17, 2026, during the Storytelling Festival in Skellefteå. Participation in all workshops and the final is mandatory and free of charge for those who are part of Berättarkraft. Accommodation and meals during the courses are covered by the scholarship, but you must arrange your own travel to and from Skellefteå.
Berättarkraft is a collaboration between Västerbottensteatern and Skellefteå Kraft.
Questions:
lillemor.skogheden@vasterbottensteatern.se
