The short version
- You keep every right to your story and can keep telling it anywhere.
- You give us permission, not ownership: we may research it, adapt it and animate it.
- If we use it, you are credited by the name you choose, or you can stay anonymous.
- We credit the community the story comes from as well as you.
- Donating is voluntary and unpaid, and you can withdraw your story before we start making it.
01 What you are giving us
When you donate a story, you give LostLores a free, non-exclusive, worldwide permission to use it to make episodes of The Stories We Were Told, and the trailers, books, teaching materials and other work that go with them.
“Non-exclusive” means the story stays yours. You can tell it, write it down, publish it or give it to anyone else.
02 How we credit you
If you ticked “Show my credit”, your chosen name appears:
- in the public story library, as soon as the story is accepted;
- in the credits and description of any episode made from it.
If you’d rather stay anonymous, we write “A storyteller who asked to stay anonymous”. We always name the people and place the story comes from, because a folktale belongs to the people who kept it alive.
03 What we may do with it
- Research it, and compare it with other tellings of the same tale.
- Adapt it for animation: shorten it, combine versions, or add choices and alternate endings, which we always label as ours.
- Translate it, and add narration and music.
- Decide not to animate it. We get more stories than we can make, and choosing one is never a judgment on a story.
04 What you promise us
- The story is a traditional tale, or one you have the right to share.
- You haven’t copied it word for word from a book, film or website that belongs to someone else.
- It isn’t secret or sacred knowledge that its community keeps for initiated members or particular occasions. If you aren’t sure, tell us in the form and we will ask before going further.
- It doesn’t include private details about real, living people.
05 Payment
Story donations are a gift to the series and are unpaid. If we ever want to work with you more closely, for example to narrate or consult on an episode, we will agree that with you separately, in writing.
06 Changing your mind
- Before we start making an episode: write to us and we will delete your story and remove it from the library.
- Once an episode is in production or released: we can’t un-make the film, but we will remove your name, or change how you are credited, whenever you ask.
07 Young storytellers
If you are under 18, please send your story with a parent or guardian, using their name and email address. You can still be credited by your first name if they agree.
08 Your details
How we look after your name and email is explained in our privacy page. To change or withdraw a donation, write to stories@lostlore.org.
Last updated 26 October 2026.