
Mythmaker
Write a myth to explain the fabled origin story of why something exists.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up :
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jul 17, 2023
Submissions closed
Aug 04, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Aug 17, 2023
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up :
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jul 17, 2023
Submissions closed
Aug 04, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Aug 17, 2023
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a myth to explain the fabled origin story of why something exists.
We challenge you to invent a myth that explains the fabled origins of a mysterious aspect of our real world. Use your creativity to unravel the enigmatic.
Some ideas to get you started:
- Why the sky is blue
- Why elephants have trunks
- Why teeth are located in the mouth
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- Between 300-3,000 words.
- Submitted to the Fiction community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process.
This challenge was inspired by Gal Mux's contribution to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $250
- 10 Runners-Up: $25
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it should be between 300 and 3,000 words, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on August 3rd will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Mythmaker 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.
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