
Landscape Mode
Turn your current view into a beautiful vignette or short creative piece.
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 22, 2020
Submissions closed
May 29, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 02, 2020
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 22, 2020
Submissions closed
May 29, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 02, 2020
About this challenge
About
Vocal creators, let’s get those creative juices flowing! It's been a while since we've been able to go to our favorite museums or art galleries, so for this week's Challenge, we're asking you all to put your artist beret on and metaphorically paint a picture. We've been spending a lot of time inside, which has made us really miss all the beautiful paintings of landscapes around the world, and also made us appreciate some overlooked landscapes—like those right outside our windows.
So, while many of us are still inside, we're asking you to look out your window and describe what you're seeing! Paint a picture with your words to turn your current view into a beautiful vignette or creative piece. Make us feel like we're right there with you, be descriptive, and get creative. We can't wait to take a virtual look at your very own landscape masterpiece.
Tips
Creative writing doesn't have to be tricky—if anything, it's a great way for you to express yourself and be unique because, like all of the stories you create, there isn't a wrong way to go about it. Of course, some things can help elevate your creative piece, so here are some tips!
- Be descriptive—even when you're talking about something simple! A tree can be just a tree, or it can be the most stunning element in your story depending on how detailed and vivid your description is.
- Use metaphors and similes to add some flair and give your story that certain je ne sais quoi!
- While we're focusing on the writing here, don't shy away from including media in your story, whether that's a song that accompanies your piece to set the mood, or an actual image to accompany your description.
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until May 28, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Landscape Mode 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 third place 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 35 countries will not be eligible to win.
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Challenge resources
You Are Here Challenge Winners
For You Are Here , we asked writers to put readers somewhere they weren't supposed to be. What really stood out in the stories that placed was how often that line wasn't so clear. Sometimes you knew you were pushing your luck, sometimes you had every right to be there, and sometimes you didn't get much of a choice. Writing in second person made those situations feel a lot harder to watch from the sidelines.
By Vocal Curation Teama day ago in Resources
Negative Space Challenge Winners
For Negative Space , we asked writers to explore how much can be said through what's left out. Our favorite entries found clever ways to make those silences, gaps, and unanswered questions feel just as important as the words themselves.
By Vocal Curation Team8 days ago in Resources
Out of Season Challenge Winners
We’re trying something new with our challenge awards structure. Starting with Out of Season , each challenge will recognize one grand prize , four winners , and ten honorable mentions . That’s 15 stories to celebrate, with a little extra love for the top pick. For this challenge, the strongest stories made the timing matter. Something showing up early or returning when it shouldn’t changed what people did, what they assumed, or how they saw each other. There was humor in trying to carry on as usual, and sadness in realizing why the usual schedule no longer worked. Sometimes the wrong time of year turned out to be just when someone needed it.
By Vocal Curation Team15 days ago in Resources




