Harmonic Verses
Create original song lyrics that use musical structure to tell a story.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Feb 27, 2025
Submissions closed
Apr 25, 2025 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 30, 2025
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Feb 27, 2025
Submissions closed
Apr 25, 2025 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 30, 2025
About this challenge
The Prompt
Create original song lyrics that use musical structure to tell a story.
Write your song lyrics in a way that makes the text sing. Focus on using rhythm, rhyme, and structured elements—verses, choruses, and bridges—to craft a narrative that unfolds like a well-composed piece of music. Let each line build emotion and drive the story forward, ensuring that your lyrics evoke both a melody and a message.
Push your creative boundaries by transforming your words into a lyrical journey. For bonus points, include an embedded audio or video recording from your favorite platform (Spotify, SoundCloud, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube) of you performing your song, letting your voice bring the lyrics to life and adding an extra layer of artistry to your submission.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $200
- 15 Runners-Up: $15 each
- 10 Honorable Mentions: Badge
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 500 and 1,500 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until April 24, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Harmonic Verses 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 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.
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