In Eclipse

The Prompt

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. An eclipse, a cosmic phenomenon and a word with multiple meanings, serves as the focal point of this challenge. We invite you to craft an acrostic poem using the word "eclipse." An acrostic poem is a form of poetry where the initial letters of each line spell out a word or message when read vertically.

The eclipse symbolizes not only the celestial event where one celestial body obscures another, but it also metaphorically signifies concealment, transformation, and even revelation. Let the natural phenonemon and the meaning of the word (taken from Merriam Webster below) inspire your poem.

eclipse (noun)

1a: the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another

1b: the passing into the shadow of a celestial body

2: a falling into obscurity or decline

also : the state of being eclipsed (ex: his reputation has fallen into eclipse)

3: the state of being in eclipse plumage

eclipse (verb)

transitive verb: to cause an eclipse of: such as:

a: OBSCURE, DARKEN

b: to reduce in importance or repute

c: SURPASS (ex: her score eclipsed the old record)

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

• An acrostic poem. Each line must begin with the letters of the word Eclipse, with 7 lines in total.
• Inspired by "eclipse" - the word or natural phenomenon.
• Submitted to Poets community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process. Your poem 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 Heather Hubler for inspiring this challenge idea in the Vocal Discord.

For your poem to be eligible, it should be submitted to the Poets Community, follow the rules above, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on April 25, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The In Eclipse 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.