Sensational
Write a poem inspired by the five senses.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 28, 2023
Submissions closed
May 17, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
May 30, 2023
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 28, 2023
Submissions closed
May 17, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
May 30, 2023
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a poem inspired by the five senses.
The five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell - are not only the key ways in which we interact with the world around us, but also the key ingredients to crafting a sensory poem that can transport the reader to another place and time.
Through a sensory poem, a poet can evoke emotions, memories, and experiences by using descriptive and emotive language that engages the reader's senses. A sunset can be described through the use of vivid colors and striking imagery to capture the reader's sense of sight. The aroma of freshly baked bread can be depicted through the use of sensory language to activate the reader's sense of smell. A cool breeze can be described through language that evokes the reader's sense of touch.
Submissions may incorporate one or all of the five senses.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
*All forms of poetry that meet the requirements and prompt above will be accepted.*
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $1,000
- Second Place: $250
- 10 Runners-Up: $25
How to enter
For your poem to be eligible, it should be under 1,000 words, submitted to the Poets Community, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until May 16, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Sensational 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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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 Team9 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 Team16 days ago in Resources