
Love in 50 Words
Craft a 50-word poem capturing Valentine’s Day—romantic, platonic, or self-love.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 22, 2025
Submissions closed
Feb 16, 2025 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Mar 07, 2025
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
10 Honorable Mentions will receive badges
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 22, 2025
Submissions closed
Feb 16, 2025 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Mar 07, 2025
About this challenge
The Prompt
Craft a 50-word poem capturing Valentine’s Day—romantic, platonic, or self-love.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect moment to celebrate love in all its forms. It could be a heartfelt confession, a sweet friendship, or the journey to embracing self-love. This challenge asks you to craft a micro-poem that encapsulates the magic and emotion of Valentine’s Day in exactly 50 words.
Your poem could explore the joy of romance, the warmth of cherished bonds, or the beauty of appreciating yourself. It’s a chance to practice precision in your writing, making every word resonate. Capture the spirit of this special day with brevity and lyrical charm.
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 poem to be eligible, it must be exactly 50 words in length and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Poems published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until February 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Love in 50 Words 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.
Out of Season
Write a story about something appearing, happening, or returning at exactly the wrong time of year.
$1,000 Grand Prize9 days leftNegative 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 Prize16 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 Prize23 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize30 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize37 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize44 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize51 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 Prize58 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize65 days left
Challenge 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 Teamabout 3 hours 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 Team6 days ago in Resources
The Most Overrated Challenge Winners
The Most Overrated challenge wasn't really about tearing down popular things. A lot of the best critiques came from writers who understood the appeal, sometimes even loved the work, but had one particular thing they couldn’t get past. That made for arguments that felt less like hot takes and more like conversations with something the writer had actually spent time thinking about. They gave credit where it was due, then got specific about characters, choices, or ideas that kept the hype from matching their experience.
By Vocal Curation Team14 days ago in Resources








