The Fantasy Prologue
Write the first chapter of a fantasy fiction story. We’ll give you the first sentence.
Prizes
- First Place:
- $10,000
- Second Place:
- $5,000
- 25 Runners-up:
- $50
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 10, 2022
Submissions closed
Jun 07, 2022 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 21, 2022
Prizes
- First Place:
- $10,000
- Second Place:
- $5,000
- 25 Runners-up:
- $50
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
May 10, 2022
Submissions closed
Jun 07, 2022 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 21, 2022
About this challenge
Hear ye! Hear ye! A new Challenge hath been proclaimed. 📜
The time has come. Dust off your wizard staff, don your mithril breastplate, and prepare yourself for an adventure of epic proportions. We are asking the Vocal community to craft the first chapter of a fantasy saga. Your story may be romantic, historical, or filled to the helmet brim with swashbuckling action. You can build new worlds populated with mystical creatures, or you can bring the magic into your own backyard. What's most important is that your tale captures the reader's attention and leaves them wanting more! And, who knows, maybe somewhere down the dusty road you’ll have a chance to write the rest of the story...
To begin your quest, we are supplying you with the first sentence. Be warned, fellow adventurers: You must use the line below to start your tale. After that, the rest is up to you.
Here’s the first sentence:
There weren't always dragons in the Valley.
Now be off! May your swords—er, pens—remain sharp, and your will resolute.
How to enter
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 June 6, 2022, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Fantasy Prologue 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.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Out of Season
Write a story about something appearing, happening, or returning at exactly the wrong time of year.
$1,000 Grand Prize8 days leftNegative Space
Write a poem shaped by what's missing. Let an absence, omission, or empty space become as important as what you put on the page.
$1,000 Grand Prize15 days leftYou Are Here
Write a story entirely in second person that puts the reader somewhere they aren't supposed to be.
$1,000 Grand Prize22 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize29 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize36 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize43 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize50 days leftSteal From Yourself
Return to something you wrote years ago and use one idea, image, character, or line from it to create something entirely new.
$1,000 Grand Prize57 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize64 days left
Challenge resources
Last Call Challenge Winners
There were plenty of ringing phones and closing bars in Last Call , but the prompt took us to some unexpected places too. A fading birdsong, a goodbye that doesn't quite get finished, and people who don't suddenly become better versions of themselves just because time is running out. Some held on, some let go, and some missed their chance entirely. That's what made these stories stick.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout 18 hours ago in Resources
Twenty-Four Hours Challenge Winners
The best Twenty-Four Hours entries weren’t really about fitting as much as possible into a day. They were about showing us a version of a place that felt personal, shaped by favorite stops, old memories, local quirks, and the little things you only notice only after knowing somewhere for a long time.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in Resources
The Most Overrated Challenge Winners
The Most Overrated challenge wasn't really about tearing down popular things. A lot of the best critiques came from writers who understood the appeal, sometimes even loved the work, but had one particular thing they couldn’t get past. That made for arguments that felt less like hot takes and more like conversations with something the writer had actually spent time thinking about. They gave credit where it was due, then got specific about characters, choices, or ideas that kept the hype from matching their experience.
By Vocal Curation Team15 days ago in Resources
