Nothing But Voices

The Prompt

Dialogue can carry more than conversation. It can hold setting, tension, backstory, and silence, all without ever naming them.

In this challenge, every line has to earn its place. There are no cues to lean on, no explanations waiting outside the quotation marks. Character emerges through rhythm, contradiction, evasion, and what goes unsaid.

Trust the voices and let meaning accumulate in the gaps between them.

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

• A fiction story.
• Between 500 and 3,000 words.
• Submitted to the Fiction community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
• Submitted before January 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Your work must be original and unpublished.

The Prizes

• 5 Winners: $200 each
• 15 Runners-up: $15 each
• 10 Honorable Mentions: $5 each

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 500 and 3,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until January 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Nothing But Voices 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.