I Wrote This
Write the story only you could tell—then prove you wrote it.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runers-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 14, 2025
Submissions closed
Jun 28, 2025 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jul 11, 2025
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runers-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 14, 2025
Submissions closed
Jun 28, 2025 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jul 11, 2025
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write the story only you could tell... then prove you wrote it.
We’re living in the age of AI, deepfakes, and bots that can churn out content in seconds. But there’s still one thing they can’t replicate: you.
This challenge is about reclaiming the personal, the raw, the real. Write a story about a moment that reminded you you’re alive. Something you felt in your chest, your bones, your skin. A time you laughed until you cried, or cried until you cracked open. A spark. A shift. A truth.
Then say it—out loud.
In order to qualify for this Challenge, you must record a video of yourself reading your story. Doesn’t have to be polished. Doesn’t have to be perfect. But it has to be you. Upload the video to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or anywhere you share, and embed the link in your submission.
For bonus points, show us the behind-the-scenes: your scribbled notes, your writing space, the face behind the story. Let us see the human behind the words.
This isn’t just about great writing. It’s about real voices in a world of fakes. And yours deserves to be heard.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- A narrative story between 600 and 2,000 words
- Accompanied by a video of you reading the story aloud, either embedded or linked in your story
- Submitted to the Writers community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
- Submitted before June 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST.
- Your work must be original and unpublished.
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 600 and 2,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until June 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The I Wrote This 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.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Negative 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 Prize2 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 Prize9 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize16 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize23 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize30 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize37 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 Prize44 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize51 days left
Challenge resources
Already Here Challenge Winners
Useful tools can change your life before you think to question them. That’s really what made these Already Here entries interesting. Writers looked past the initial “how is this possible?” and paid attention to how quickly something remarkable becomes part of the routine. The strongest pieces didn’t ask us to choose between being impressed and being uneasy. They understood why people welcome these changes, then noticed what else shifts once we get used to them.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in 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 Team14 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 Team20 days ago in Resources
