Background: Loneliness has become a great public health concern in the Western world. Most vulnerable to loneliness are emerging adults. Prolonged loneliness in emerging adults is associated with poor mental health such as symptoms of depression and anxiety that may have negative implications for health and well-being in later life. Aim: To explore and gain a better understanding of how prolonged loneliness is experienced and coped with in the everyday life of emerging adults. Methods: The study is a thematic analysis of qualitative data consisting of cultural probes and in-depth interviews. Participants were recruited through targeted advertising on social media. Over a week, participants aged 18-25 completed a cultural probe that included open and evocative activities for them to delve into in their own time thereby contributing to depicting their story about loneliness in everyday life. After reviews of the cultural probes, in-depth interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results: Participants were 21 emerging adults (mean age 21.3), three men and 18 women. Except for one, they all completed cultural probes that were returned prior to the interview and used as a starting point for conversation. At present (December 2022), the coding of the transcribed interviews has been completed and thematic analysis is underway. The final Results will be presented at the conference. Perspectives: A wider understanding of emerging adults’ lived experiences with prolonged loneliness can contribute to new perspectives on the reasons underlying loneliness. The material from the cultural probes are strong testimonies and formed the basis for creating a traveling exhibition to set the stage for dialogue. The exhibition is currently traveling around various cultural- and educational venues in Denmark. Going forward, the study can contribute as a direct voice of emerging adults when developing interventions aimed at reducing loneliness.