Enter the Story Map Competition

Using Esri Story Maps is a simple way to create interesting mapped narratives about any subject. Esri Story Maps provide a number of easy to use templates that allow you to combine map and satellite views with multimedia and other interactive features to create an interactive mapped presentation.

Now Story Map users can also enter the Esri Storytelling with Maps Contest. There are four different categories and Esri will provide first, second, and third place prizes in each category. The categories are:

• Best Conservation, Environment & Sustainability Story Maps
• Best Travel & Destinations Story Maps
• Best Culture, History & Events Story Maps
• Best Science, Technology & Health Story Maps

The best overall map will win the grand prize of a one year ArcGIS Online subscription (5 users) and a winner's plaque & certificate. The other prizes include one year subscriptions to the Smithsonian Magazine.

My nomination for the best Culture, History & Events Map would have been the Smithsonian's own map of the Decisive Moments in the Battle of Gettysburg. However I'm not sure they will be eligible to enter if they are sponsoring the prizes.

Therefore I think this Esri Story Map of Minard's flow chart of Napoleon's March on Moscow

could have a good chance of winning. The map presents Minard's flow chart on an Esri map and narrates some of the important events during the military campaign.

Unfortunately there seems to be a bug in the map that prevents the map tiles being shown when the map is zoomed out. This means that you have to keep zooming in on the map to view the map tiles. If you want to see a zoomed out mapped visualization of Minards' flow chart you can check out Napoleon's March.

This Leaflet reworking of Minard's flow map is a good attempt at a slippy map visualization of the Napoleonic army's movements and dwindling size. Unfortunately this map lacks Minard's temperature chart that visualized the freezing temperatures faced by Napoleon's army as they pushed eastwards.

If you want to see some more examples of Esri Story Maps then have a look at Google Maps Mania's recent Pick of Esri Story Maps.