Whodunit
Write a crime fiction story.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $300
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 12, 2023
Submissions closed
Jan 06, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 18, 2024
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $300
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 12, 2023
Submissions closed
Jan 06, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 18, 2024
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a crime fiction story.
Unleash your inner detective to craft a crime fiction story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Explore the depths of mystery as you weave a tale of deception and intrigue. You can experiment with different sub-genres within crime fiction, from noir to cozy mysteries. Here are some elements to include to make your crime fiction come alive:
- Engaging Plot: Create a compelling mystery that challenges both the characters and readers to uncover the truth.
- Well-Developed Characters: Develop multi-dimensional characters with hidden motives and secrets.
- Atmosphere and Suspense: Build a palpable sense of tension and anticipation that immerses the reader in your crime.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- A crime fiction story.
- Between 600-3,500 words.
- Submitted to the Criminal community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $300
- 10 Runners-Up: $20
How to enter
For your story 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 5, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Whodunit 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.
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Challenge resources
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Creator Dane BH is one of our Vocal stalwarts. We’re so grateful to all of your in our Vocal community, and so thrilled by your achievements. This is the third time Dane has won one of our challenges, and she appears too on our Vocal podcast, Write Here, Write Now — take a listen if you haven’t already. But she’s not our winner because we know her: the subtlety and simplicity of we watched the world go dark. together. is what made it our winner of the In Eclipse challenge, with the grace and ease of its lines and observation. As it happens it also expresses the community spirit that means so much to us.
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Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a month ago in Resources