Social Shock

Feeling like a misfit, being totally self conscious and out-of-place, or just plain lost, is part of the human experience, right? It's a very common phenomenon, the feeling of culture shock, like being a fish out of water. This sensation is often experienced while traveling, but it can also be experienced right at home, among friends or loved ones.

Enter the Social Shock Challenge by writing a story about a time you experienced social confusion, embarrassment, or generally felt like you didn't quite fit in. Maybe you moved far from home to a country where you don't speak the language; maybe you and your friends rented a car abroad and ended up driving on the wrong side of the road. Or maybe you showed up to the Halloween party of a friend-of-a-friend in an elaborate gory costume, and were the only one who decided to dress up that night (cue the iconic Mean Girls bride-of-Frankenstein-at-a-party-full-of-Playboy-bunnies scene). Whatever your story is, we want to hear it. Be sure to include photos and other media to support your tale, as well as any tips or advice you have for your fellow humans to avoid feeling like a 🐟 out of 🌊.

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until June 22, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Social Shock 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.