Negative Space

The Prompt

Negative space is what surrounds the subject. In a poem, it can be silence, omission, white space, or the thing the speaker refuses to name.

Write a poem shaped by what's missing. Maybe it's a person who never appears, a word you keep avoiding, a gap in a memory, or something the reader can feel without ever being told directly.

Use form, line breaks, repetition, restraint, or even the space on the page itself to make that absence felt. Whatever approach you choose, the emptiness should do real work in the poem.

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

• A poem (any style or structure is welcome)
• Between 50 and 600 words.
• Submitted to the Poets community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
• Submitted before October 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Your work must be original and unpublished.

The Prizes

• Grand Prize: $1000
• 4 Winners: $200 each
• 10 Honorable Mentions: $15 each

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 50 and 600 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until October 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Negative Space Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win, 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.