In February 2026, the German book "Mut zur Zukunft" (Courage for the Future) by innovation specialist Stephan Jung will take its place in the Arctic World Archive (AWA) on Svalbard. Deep within the permafrost of Spitsbergen, the work will be preserved as a long-term record for future generations.
According to Jung, it is the first book by a living author worldwide to be archived in this facility. The deposit will take place as part of an official ceremony – an event that redefines the logic of experiential staging and creates an entirely new kind of goosebump moment.
A Vault for Cultural and Scientific Memory
The Arctic World Archive preserves cultural and scientific artefacts – including paintings, manuscripts, research findings and digital works – on specially developed long-term film that can be read without digital infrastructure. Its aim is to safeguard knowledge deemed worthy of preservation, independent of digitisation cycles as well as technological or political change.
Companies, organisations and private individuals can make use of this commercial archiving service. During formal deposit ceremonies, the long-term film reels are stored deep in the permafrost of a former coal mine on Svalbard.
Stephan Jung’s book has also been transferred onto long-term film. Its deposit at the AWA is scheduled for February 2026 as part of a ceremony embedded within an international forum dedicated to the long-term protection of nature, knowledge and cultural heritage.
The Location as the Ultimate Wow Factor
Svalbard is not a place one visits casually. Situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole, the archipelago stands for extremes: cold, vastness, silence – and stability.
It is home not only to the world-renowned Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which safeguards crop diversity for humanity, but also to the Arctic World Archive, funded through one-off deposit fees.
Inside a decommissioned mine, data stored on long-term film is preserved: UNESCO documents, national archives, globally significant cultural artefacts and selected works from corporations and creatives. The archive operates without cloud systems, without active servers, without a permanent energy supply. Knowledge is not streamed – it is conserved on microfilm.
This setting alone gives each deposit ceremony a fascination that no conference centre in the world could replicate. The journey through snow and rock becomes part of the dramaturgy. The physical handover becomes ritual.
A Book for the Ages
The German book "Mut zur Zukunft" (Courage for the Future), published in October 2025, explores how to shape the future in times of uncertainty and acceleration. The fact that this very book is now entering an archive designed to last for centuries lends additional depth to its message.
"We are living in a time of permanent acceleration and simultaneous fragility of knowledge," says Jung. "This book is not aimed at the next trend, but at people who, perhaps in a hundred or a thousand years, may want to understand how we thought about the future."
The deposit is conceived as more than a PR gesture. It is a symbolic act of responsibility – and a statement against the fleeting nature of digital attention.
More Than PR – The Deposit Ceremony
The deposit ceremony for "Mut zur Zukunft" will take place during an international forum expected to welcome representatives from science, culture, technology and civil society.
Selected media representatives will have the opportunity to accompany the journey and the deposit on site. This approach ensures transparency while creating an experience that goes far beyond a traditional book launch.
A New Logic of Experiential Design
For the event industry, this format offers a compelling shift in perspective. While many events prioritise reach, speed and maximum visibility, the deposit ceremony reverses the logic: it focuses on duration, reduction and symbolic depth.
The "show" does not unfold on a large stage, but in a location that carries a powerful message – and transfers that message to the work being archived.
Rather than ephemeral spectacle, the ceremony plays with the concept of eternity: no stage fireworks, but permafrost. No rapid-fire sensory overload, but the solemn act of archiving as the central moment. Precisely through this restraint, a new form of event dramaturgy emerges – one that does not chase fleeting wow effects, but celebrates an act of preservation for generations. That is epic.
The Arctic World Archive at a Glance
The Arctic World Archive is both a place of knowledge preservation and a commercial long-term archiving model. Cultural treasures, corporate data, scientific research and creative works can be secured on long-term film in exchange for a one-off fee.
This unique form of archiving is designed to offer a high level of protection against data loss, cyberattacks and technological obsolescence. The narrative surrounding each deposit – and the ceremonies themselves – opens up new possibilities for marketing and brand positioning.
Companies use the Arctic World Archive to demonstrate innovation capacity, sustainability and cultural responsibility toward future generations. Depending on the selected package, the deposit itself can be staged as a highly symbolic event. The setting alone creates unforgettable moments; the narrative around the archived work generates lasting attention.
Editorial Comment (EventMasterBook.de)
Event professionals can learn from this concept how the combination of extraordinary locations, epic rituals, and compelling narratives creates truly unforgettable experiences. The image that lingers with every ceremony participant is a genuine goosebumps moment: a meaningful work, captured on durable film, sealed in stone for centuries – all in the serene silence of the North. Few events leave a lasting impression. The deposit ceremony, along with its accompanying storytelling, certainly does.
One might also consider presenting the deposit moment in a hybrid format, live-streaming the ceremony to a corporate conference or major industry congress. This would create a unique, memorable moment – one that few event guests have likely experienced before.
Further information
Details about the Arctic World Archive can be found at arcticworldarchive.org. More information about author Stephan Jung is available at stephan-jung.com.
Cover image: Arctic World Archive, Main Entrance (Source: Arctic World Archive AWA)
Related topics: Epic event, Arctic World Archive, AWA, Stephan Jung, Mut zur Zukunft, Courage for the Future, Svalbard, Spitsbergen, permafrost, long-term archiving, long-term film, microfilm preservation, knowledge preservation, future studies, innovation leadership, deposit ceremony, archival ritual, symbolic events, brand storytelling, heritage preservation, sustainability strategy, cultural responsibility, data resilience, legacy marketing, hybrid event, PR strategy, book launch, book marketing, event innovation, thought leadership, future mindset
Summary: A book on the future by German author Stephan Jung will be deposited in the Arctic World Archive on Svalbard in February 2026, deep within the permafrost of Spitsbergen. According to Jung, it is the first work by a living author worldwide to be archived there. The deposit will take place during an official ceremony at an international forum. For the event industry, the format represents a powerful example of a new, symbol-driven approach to staging – centered on permanence, ritual, and narrative depth.
Please note: This text was translated from the German EventMasterBook.de Event Magazine (see article: Stephan Jung lagert sein Buch im Arctic World Archive ein). Please excuse any translation errors.
