Ship of Dreams

April 15, 2022, is the 110 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland, on its maiden voyage to New York City, the Titanic struck an iceberg—well, you all know what happens.

Since that fateful night more than a century ago, the tragedy of the unsinkable Ship of Dreams has been the inspiration for many stories. Of course there’s the titular movie written and directed by James Cameron. There are also a number of books that tell the tale of the Titanic from unique perspectives. “The Girl Who Came Home” by Hazel Gaynor tells the story of a group of Irish emigrants seeking a better life in America. “Every Man For Himself” by Beryl Bainbridge is a haunting day-by-day account of the voyage itself. In 2021, novelist Stacy Lee reminded readers of the eight Chinese sailors aboard the ship in her book “The Luck of the Titanic.” Of those eight passengers, six survived and made it all the way to their final destination, only to be turned away at the New York harbor on account of their race.

The Ship of Dreams has been the backdrop for these stories and many more. Now, we invite you to add to that anthology. Maybe your account will be a first-person narrative about someone who snuck aboard the fated vessel. Perhaps there’s a new story to be told from the vantage point of one of the responders, or a family member awaiting the arrival of their seafaring darling. No matter what form it takes, let your imagination recreate this timeless, tragic tale. Bon voyage.

For your story to be eligible, it should 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 26, 2022, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Ship of Dreams 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 runner-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.