#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://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.
Out of Season
Write a story about something appearing, happening, or returning at exactly the wrong time of year.
$1,000 Grand Prize2 days leftNegative Space
Write a poem shaped by what's missing. Let an absence, omission, or empty space become as important as what you put on the page.
$1,000 Grand Prize9 days leftYou Are Here
Write a story entirely in second person that puts the reader somewhere they aren't supposed to be.
$1,000 Grand Prize16 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize23 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize30 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize37 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize44 days leftSteal From Yourself
Return to something you wrote years ago and use one idea, image, character, or line from it to create something entirely new.
$1,000 Grand Prize51 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize58 days left
Challenge resources
Last Call Challenge Winners
There were plenty of ringing phones and closing bars in Last Call , but the prompt took us to some unexpected places too. A fading birdsong, a goodbye that doesn't quite get finished, and people who don't suddenly become better versions of themselves just because time is running out. Some held on, some let go, and some missed their chance entirely. That's what made these stories stick.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in Resources
Twenty-Four Hours Challenge Winners
The best Twenty-Four Hours entries weren’t really about fitting as much as possible into a day. They were about showing us a version of a place that felt personal, shaped by favorite stops, old memories, local quirks, and the little things you only notice only after knowing somewhere for a long time.
By Vocal Curation Team13 days ago in Resources
The Most Overrated Challenge Winners
The Most Overrated challenge wasn't really about tearing down popular things. A lot of the best critiques came from writers who understood the appeal, sometimes even loved the work, but had one particular thing they couldn’t get past. That made for arguments that felt less like hot takes and more like conversations with something the writer had actually spent time thinking about. They gave credit where it was due, then got specific about characters, choices, or ideas that kept the hype from matching their experience.
By Vocal Curation Team21 days ago in Resources
