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(No) Regrets
Reveal your most embarrassing stories and cringeworthy moments.
Prizes
- First place:
- $5,000
- Second place:
- $2,500
- Third place:
- $1,000
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Mar 24, 2021
Submissions closed
Apr 28, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
May 11, 2021
Prizes
- First place:
- $5,000
- Second place:
- $2,500
- Third place:
- $1,000
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Mar 24, 2021
Submissions closed
Apr 28, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
May 11, 2021
About this challenge
Whether it's accidentally sending an embarrassing text message to the wrong person or mistaking a random car for an Uber, we've all made a complete fool out of ourselves at some point in our lives. Those uncomfortable experiences are universal, and we've all got a story or situation that makes us wince any time we think about it. But don't beat yourself up about it! Even if that instant was dreadfully awkward, it's time to let it go—that's why we've launched our newest community, Confessions, home to romantic fails, workplace drama, childish pranks, revelations, and all shades of cringe.
One of the best ways to move past certain distressing memories in life is by talking about them. So, enter the (No) Regrets Challenge and come clean by sharing your most embarrassing stories with us—those moments that still pop into your head to haunt you as you're trying to fall asleep. Did you forget to mute yourself on Zoom as you gossiped about your professor? Or say something unbelievably embarrassing to your crush at a middle school dance that you still think about ten years later? It can be a mistake you've made and hate talking about, a silly drunk thing you said to a college hookup that you can't get out of your head. We all have those moments from the past that come back to haunt us when we least expect them—and they can be a lot of fun to share. Whatever story you haven't fessed up to yet because you cringe at the thought, we want to hear it. Reveal your most cringeworthy memories so we can laugh about them together, with absolutely no regrets.
Judges
Judged by co-host of Oops the Podcast: A podcast that examines the mistakes that change the trajectory of people’s lives—the bad decisions, the aftermath, the path to redemption, and all things in between.
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 April 27, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The (No) Regrets 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 countries will not be eligible to win.
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Challenge resources
Summer Solstice Challenge Winners
‘Safety Net’, by Meredith Harmon, begins in a confiding tone. ‘What town?’ the tale asks. ‘We're an enclave. We're farmers. We till the soil like our forefathers, and our children's children's children will till it, till the end of time.’ There is a folkloric sensibility here, suited to the prompt, but also something contemporary and practical. This winning story of a community trying to protect and preserve itself has echoes of Shirley Jackson’s famous tale ‘The Lottery’, Meredith is a strong Vocal Creator with 225 stories to her name; and this is her second first place win of a challenge; huge congratulations.
By Vocal Curation Team8 days ago in Resources
Let's Talk About AI and Vocal Challenges
We might as well cut to the chase. Yes, we run every challenge entry through our AI detector; if we find an entry has been generated, it’s disqualified. As Justin Maury, Founder/CEO of Vocal has written, we use these detection systems because we know our readers enjoy authentic content; we also ask you to disclose when you’ve posted on the platform using AI assistance. But a different issue comes into play when we’re thinking about Challenges, and we believe it’s an important one.
By Vocal Curation Team11 days ago in Resources
Dialogue Poetry Challenge Winners
Hannah Moore is a first-time grand prize winner with her dialogue poem, On Receipt of Bad News. This was a poem that genuinely engaged both with the exchange of our prompt, but also focussed on the way poetic rhythms of language could support the writer's conceit. It felt very truthful, too, the way one speaker wishes to ignore the news and focus on practicalities; there was a quiet heartbreak, here. Well done.
By Vocal Curation Team15 days ago in Resources