![](https://res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/c_fill,f_jpg,g_auto,h_670,q_auto,w_670/60f9cd76127b54001d65a8fc.jpg)
SFS 8: Pear Tree
Share a short fiction story including a pear tree.
Prizes
- First place:
- $5,000
- Second place:
- $1,000
- Third place:
- $500
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jul 07, 2021
Submissions closed
Sep 01, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Sep 14, 2021
Prizes
- First place:
- $5,000
- Second place:
- $1,000
- Third place:
- $500
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jul 07, 2021
Submissions closed
Sep 01, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Sep 14, 2021
About this challenge
Welcome to Vocal's Summer Fiction Series! This series is comprised of eight short fiction Challenges ranging in length from one week to eight weeks long. Each prompt is inspired by a different book from a traditional summer reading list, full of the classics that so many of us read and reread throughout childhood and adolescence to prepare for the school year ahead. We'll start with childhood classics like Matilda and Charlotte's Web, and work our way up through those high school staples like Catcher in the Rye and The Bluest Eye. It’s a little nostalgia, and a whole lot of creativity.
Keep in mind that just because each prompt is inspired by an old classic doesn't mean that your story is required to draw inspiration from that story. Free to write in your own style, or your preferred genre. As long as you've taken the prompt into account, the rest is up to you.
...
This longest Challenge in the series is inspired by Their Eyes Were Watching God. In one of the most beautiful coming of age passages of all time, Hurston describes: "She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her." So now, we’re asking you to write a short fiction story including a pear tree at some point in your story. Whether the tree appears as a shadow on the horizon, is being climbed by your protagonist, or is simply used as a metaphor like in the novel, its purpose is entirely your call, as long as it makes an appearance.
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it should be between 600 and 2,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until August 31, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The SFS 8: Pear Tree 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.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Breakup Nonet
Write a nonet poem about a relationship breakup.
$500 Grand Prize5 days leftL*pogram
Write a lipogram story that does not contain any words with the letter 'i'.
$500 Grand Prize12 days leftOverboard
Write a fiction story set on a boat that ends with a crucial character going overboard.
$600 Grand Prize26 days left
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