Everything Looks Better From Far Away

This Challenge is part of the Vocal+ Summer Writing Series. Learn more

The Prompt

You know that feeling: you’re somewhere beautiful, maybe even exactly where you said you wanted to be. The sky is clear, the sun’s out, and from a distance, everything looks fine. But you’re not in it. Not really.

This challenge is about that. A character who’s observing more than participating. A place that looks better through sunglasses. A moment that feels just a little too quiet, too clean, too distant.

Set your story on a hillside. On a balcony. On the road. Anywhere with a view. Let your character hold something at arm’s length, another person, a decision, a version of themselves, and see what slips through the cracks.

Let it be warm, a little glossy, and gently off-center. Like the summer version of pretending you’re okay.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• A fiction story (any genre or tone).
• Between 600 and 3,000 words.
• Submitted to the Fiction community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
• Submitted before August 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Your work must be original and unpublished.

The Prizes

• 5 Winners: $200 each
• 15 Runners-up: $15 each
• 10 Honorable Mentions: $5 each

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 3,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until August 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Everything Looks Better From Far Away Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win, you must be over the age of 13 and reside 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 a Stripe account created and connected to receive prizes. Entrants located outside of these countries will not be eligible to win.