Sensational

The Prompt

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

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.