Passing Ships

The Prompt

Throughout life, we experience fleeting moments, like two ships passing each other in the night. This phrase refers to a missed connection or opportunity, where two people or things pass each other without fully recognizing or engaging with each other. However, even in these seemingly small moments, there can be hidden significance and meaning.

Write about a seemingly small moment in your life that ended up having a big impact. Reflect on how it changed your perspective, values, or decisions. Explore how paying attention to small things can reveal profound truths about ourselves and the world, and change the course of one's life.

This challenge was inspired by Cheryl E Preston's contribution to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges. Thank you, Cheryl!

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• Between 600-5,000 words.

The Prizes

• Grand Prize: $1,000
• Second Place: $250
• 10 Runners-Up: $25

For your story to be eligible, it should be between 600 and 5,000 words, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on April 28th will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Passing Ships Challenge is open to all Vocal members.

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.