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.
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 Prize45 hours leftYou Are Here
Write a story entirely in second person that puts the reader somewhere they aren't supposed to be.
$1,000 Grand Prize8 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize15 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize22 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize29 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize36 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 Prize43 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize50 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 Team8 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 Team15 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 Team21 days ago in Resources
