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Tautogram
Write a poem where every word starts with the same letter.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Mar 21, 2023
Submissions closed
Apr 05, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 28, 2023
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Mar 21, 2023
Submissions closed
Apr 05, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 28, 2023
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a poem where every word starts with the same letter.
A tautogram is basically a fancy term for a word game where every word starts with the same letter or sound. It's like alliteration, but taken to the extreme! It can be a fun way to play with language and create a memorable effect in writing or speech, as well as an effective way to challenge yourself as a writer.
In order to qualify as a tautogram, your submission must meet the following requirements:
- Every word in your poem must begin with the same letter. You can choose any letter in the Roman alphabet.
- It must be submitted to the Poets community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process. Your poem will be rejected for word count requirements if it is submitted to any other community.
*All forms of poetry that meet the tautogram requirements above are accepted. There is no minimum word count.*
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $1,000
- Second Place: $250
- 10 Runners-Up: $25
How to enter
For your tautogram poem to be eligible, every word must begin with the same letter, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until April 4, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET will be considered. You may submit as many entries as you want. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Tautogram 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 Team15 days ago in Resources