The Remarkably Real Challenge
Tell us a candid story where your authentic self shone through.
Prizes
- First Place:
- $5,000
- Second Place:
- $2,500
- Third Place:
- $1,500
All three winners will also each receive a $1,000 Charles & Colvard gift card.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 10, 2021
Submissions closed
Dec 22, 2021 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 04, 2022
Prizes
- First Place:
- $5,000
- Second Place:
- $2,500
- Third Place:
- $1,500
All three winners will also each receive a $1,000 Charles & Colvard gift card.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 10, 2021
Submissions closed
Dec 22, 2021 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 04, 2022
About this challenge
Our partners at Charles & Colvard know a thing or two about authenticity. They’re redefining “real” in the diamond industry with their Made, Not Mined gems by proving that you don’t need harmful mining practices to create something authentic. And together, we want to celebrate what makes you... you!
So, we’re asking you to tell us a story where you let your true self shine through. Maybe you were faced with a rough situation at work or in parenting that made you discover your true strengths! Perhaps you quit your job and launched your own company, despite the fear of failure—or maybe you've decided to go all natural and are no longer wearing makeup or using social media filters. Whether you showed up bare faced to an important event, or have decided to follow your dreams, it’s the candid, un-filtered moments that make you who you are.
We, along with our partners at Charles & Colvard, want to fall in love with the real you.
Judges
Don O’Connell – Charles & Colvard President and CEO
Hillary Watson – Senior Director of Sales and Merchandising, Charles & Colvard
Lindsey Woodruff – Director of Marketing and Communications, Charles & Colvard
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 December 21, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Remarkably Real 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.
Challenge resources
Whispering Woods Challenge Winners
Congratulations to Morgan Christy Rickards for their winning Whispering Woods story, Guardian at the Gate. Morgan has been a Vocal creator since February 2021, and this is their first time placing in Challenge — well done, starting with a win! Guardian at the Gate draws evocatively from Welsh tales of the Cantre'r Gwaelod, a lost sunken kingdom between the forest and the sea. Heledd’s dangerous adventure pulls her towards the water but her spirit is anchored in the woods: Morgan’s writing is atmospheric and exciting.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished 7 days ago in ResourcesSnacktime Sonata Challenge Winners
Well, your Snacktime Sonatas made us hungry, and that’s about the highest compliment we have. Food — taste, smell, sensation — is a powerful conduit to the past, to memories pleasurable and painful and sometimes bittersweet, a mixture of comfort and challenge. Congratulations to Penny Fuller for Sativa — it’s a first win for Penny — a hymn to the “secret, unbounded/freedoms” of fresh peas in the pod. The narrative voice of the poem doesn’t really want to be outside, but finds joy in the green things of the earth; this is a lovely work of resilience.
Vocal TeamPublished 13 days ago in Resources'The Dragon Beside Me' Challenge Winners.
"The Dragon Beside Me" has ignited the spirits of writers across the Vocal community and PViM have had the exciting opportunity to work beside our friends at Vocal on discerning the winners. No easy feat let us tell you. From initial shortlist to final deliberations, the standard was as high as our spirits.
Proud ViM ProductionsPublished about a month ago in Resources
