Arid
Write a story that ends in a desert setting. We'll give you the last sentence.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $700
- Second Place:
- $200
- 5 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 31, 2023
Submissions closed
Nov 27, 2023 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 14, 2023
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $700
- Second Place:
- $200
- 5 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 31, 2023
Submissions closed
Nov 27, 2023 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 14, 2023
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a story that ends in a desert setting with this last sentence:
Engulfed in the desert's parched silence, I was nothing but another grain of sand in the wind.
In previous challenges, we have given you the first sentence to inspire your story. This time, we're flipping the script by giving you the last. Your imagination is the key to unlocking countless possibilities as you develop characters, settings, and plot twists that all coalesce into that final evocative line.
The genre of the story is entirely up to you, whether you wish to explore the mysteries of the dunes, weave a romantic tale around an oasis, embark on an adventure through the desert's harsh terrain, or take readers on a surreal science fiction journey across the barren landscape (just don't copy "Dune"!). Take note that your story does not have to start in the desert, but it must end there.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must:
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $700
- Second Place: $200
- 5 Runners-Up: $20
How to enter
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 November 26, 2023 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Arid Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.
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.
Challenge resources
Whispering Woods Challenge Winners
Congratulations to Morgan Christy Rickards for their winning Whispering Woods story, Guardian at the Gate. Morgan has been a Vocal creator since February 2021, and this is their first time placing in Challenge — well done, starting with a win! Guardian at the Gate draws evocatively from Welsh tales of the Cantre'r Gwaelod, a lost sunken kingdom between the forest and the sea. Heledd’s dangerous adventure pulls her towards the water but her spirit is anchored in the woods: Morgan’s writing is atmospheric and exciting.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished 14 days ago in ResourcesSnacktime Sonata Challenge Winners
Well, your Snacktime Sonatas made us hungry, and that’s about the highest compliment we have. Food — taste, smell, sensation — is a powerful conduit to the past, to memories pleasurable and painful and sometimes bittersweet, a mixture of comfort and challenge. Congratulations to Penny Fuller for Sativa — it’s a first win for Penny — a hymn to the “secret, unbounded/freedoms” of fresh peas in the pod. The narrative voice of the poem doesn’t really want to be outside, but finds joy in the green things of the earth; this is a lovely work of resilience.
Vocal TeamPublished 20 days ago in Resources'The Dragon Beside Me' Challenge Winners.
"The Dragon Beside Me" has ignited the spirits of writers across the Vocal community and PViM have had the exciting opportunity to work beside our friends at Vocal on discerning the winners. No easy feat let us tell you. From initial shortlist to final deliberations, the standard was as high as our spirits.
Proud ViM ProductionsPublished about a month ago in Resources