Prizes

First place: $1,000

Second place: $500

Third place: $250

Dates to know

February 17: Submissions open

February 23, 11:59 PM EST: Submissions close

February 26: Winners announced

About this Challenge

From the early stages of music, beginning with Blues and Jazz in the ’20s to hip-hop and pop music from the ’90s onward, you will find one common denominator: Black women leading the way.

Whether behind the scenes, in front of the mic, building empires, or shaking things up in the boardroom, Black women play a significant role in moving music forward every single day.

For this Challenge, we want you to highlight some of the songwriters, musicians, executives, and producers who have left their mark on music – and even on you. Enter this Challenge and share the biggest hits or most significant contributions by Black women in music! How did their career impact your views on music? On what level do their lives and decisions resonate with you? Does their presence in the music industry bring visibility to you and other important causes? Whether they’re responsible for your favorite record of all time or for shaping your career choices, share a story celebrating and honoring Black women in the music industry.

It’s hard to imagine what the world would sound like without their voices. ❤️

Requirements

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until February 23, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Black Women in Music 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 third place 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 39 countries will not be eligible to win.