#200
What aspirations do you have for yourself on Vocal this year?
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $2,024
- Second Place:
- $200
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 05, 2024
Submissions closed
Jan 27, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Feb 08, 2024
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $2,024
- Second Place:
- $200
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 05, 2024
Submissions closed
Jan 27, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Feb 08, 2024
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write about your aspirations for yourself as a creator on Vocal in 2024.
With this being Vocal's 200th challenge (yes, 200 already!) and in celebration of the new year, we are asking you to share your aspirations and creative goals for yourself on Vocal in 2024. Resolutions can be scary, but setting your intentions does not have to be — we are here to welcome them with open minds and eyes. And if your aspiration is to not take your writing too seriously this year, we're all for it. The goal is to be honest, optimistic, and to get something in writing!
We plan to ask you to revisit this challenge at the end of the year to reflect on your progress and growth, so you can go ahead and call us your accountability buddy 💪
Some ideas to help you brainstorm:
- How has the past year on Vocal shaped your goals for this year?
- What genres or writing forms do you wish to explore?
- What skills do you want to hone?
- How often will you write?
- How often will you read other creators' work?
- Who will you collaborate/connect with on Vocal?
- How will you support other creators?
- How will Vocal challenges help shape your creative journey?
- Is there a specific piece you want to finish or work on?
- What do you want your impact to be on Vocal?
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- About your aspirations for yourself on Vocal in 2024.
- Between 500-2,500 words.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $2,024
- Second Place: $200
- 10 Runners-Up: $20
How to enter
For your piece to be eligible, it should adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on January 26, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The #200 Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://customer-opinion.top/vocal-plus%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E%3Cp class="css-1923z11-Text">To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
A System That Isn’t Working
Write about a system, whether social, economic, cultural, technological, or otherwise, that feels broken or misaligned.
$200 Grand Prize2 days leftEveryone Is Acting Normally
Write a story in which something is clearly wrong but all characters behave as if everything is normal.
$200 Grand Prize9 days leftThe Haiku of Now
Write a haiku that captures a small, precise moment from the present without reflection or commentary.
$200 Grand Prize14 days leftWhat the Myth Gets Wrong
Write a story set in a world where a well-known myth exists that focuses on a detail the myth simplifies, ignores, or distorts.
$200 Grand Prize16 days leftSomething Is Beginning, I Think
Write a story that opens at the edge of a beginning that feels uncertain, partial, or reluctant and avoid resolution.
$200 Grand Prize23 days leftSay It Plainly
Write a poem that states its central concern directly without metaphor, indirection, or symbolic substitution.
$200 Grand Prize30 days leftThe Rule Everyone Knows
Write a story centered on an unspoken rule that everyone in the story understands and follows, allowing the rule to emerge through behavior.
$200 Grand Prize35 days left
Challenge resources
Mismatch Challenge Winners
Blending genres isn’t about stacking elements side by side. It’s about what happens when two sets of expectations refuse to cooperate. The strongest entries in the Mismatch Challenge understood that tension and leaned into it. Rather than smoothing the edges, these stories let their chosen genres complicate one another, creating friction that carried through voice, structure, and consequence.
By Vocal Curation Team14 days ago in Resources
Public Announcement Challenge Winners
For the Public Announcement Challenge, writers were asked to work inside voices built for control. These were notices, warnings, and updates meant to inform rather than confess. The strongest entries committed to that form and didn't break from it. Corporate memos, formal government alerts, and internal policy language were held consistently, allowing emotion, fear, grief, or humor to surface indirectly through pressure rather than declaration. The following poems recognize the voice of authority, and let human feeling slip through despite all its rules and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team19 days ago in Resources
