Epic Beginnings

The Prompt ✍️

Every hero or villain starts with a story — an origin that defines their path. For this challenge, we invite you to create an original superhero or supervillain and explain in only 300 words or less how they got their super powers.

Brainstorm 💭

The ideas and questions below are for brainstorming purposes only and are not all required to be answered within your story.

Name and Persona: Give your character a memorable name and describe their alter ego. What is their background, and what motivates them?

Powers: What special abilities or powers does your character possess? Explain how they acquired these powers — whether through scientific experimentation, mystical artifacts, or other extraordinary means.

Visuals: How do you envision your character's appearance? Do they have a costume? How does their physical appearance reflect their personality and powers?

Environment: Where and when does your character's story take place? How does the setting influence their powers, motivation, and challenges?

Transformation: Detail the event or series of events that led to the development of their powers. Was it an accident, a deliberate act, or a moment of destiny?

Impact and Purpose: How does your character use their powers? Are they fighting for justice, seeking revenge, or pursuing a personal agenda? Describe their goals and the impact they have on the world around them.

Challenges: What are the key obstacles or enemies your character faces? How do these challenges shape their journey and their choices?

Character Flaws: Every hero or villain has vulnerabilities. What are your character's weaknesses, and how do they impact their abilities and choices?

Theme: Is there an underlying message you want to explore through your character's story?

**In order to let the expert brevity of your microfiction shine, please do not include author's notes or additional text before or after your story. If you would like to share a message with your readers, please use the comments section.**

In order for your submission to qualify, it must:

• Have a body of text that is 300 words or less. This does not include your title and subtitle.
• Be submitted to the Fiction community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process. Your story may be rejected for word count requirements if it is submitted to any other community.

The Prizes 🏆

• Grand Prize: $500
• Second Place: $200
• 10 Runners-Up: $20

Special shout-out to Amos Glade for inspiring this challenge idea in Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.

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 August 30, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Epic Beginnings 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.

Any content that is determined to be generated by artificial intelligence will be disqualified and will not be eligible to place in any challenge. Read more on our stance here.