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.
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Challenge resources
You Are Here Challenge Winners
For You Are Here , we asked writers to put readers somewhere they weren't supposed to be. What really stood out in the stories that placed was how often that line wasn't so clear. Sometimes you knew you were pushing your luck, sometimes you had every right to be there, and sometimes you didn't get much of a choice. Writing in second person made those situations feel a lot harder to watch from the sidelines.
By Vocal Curation Team5 days ago in Resources
Negative Space Challenge Winners
For Negative Space , we asked writers to explore how much can be said through what's left out. Our favorite entries found clever ways to make those silences, gaps, and unanswered questions feel just as important as the words themselves.
By Vocal Curation Team12 days ago in Resources
Out of Season Challenge Winners
We’re trying something new with our challenge awards structure. Starting with Out of Season , each challenge will recognize one grand prize , four winners , and ten honorable mentions . That’s 15 stories to celebrate, with a little extra love for the top pick. For this challenge, the strongest stories made the timing matter. Something showing up early or returning when it shouldn’t changed what people did, what they assumed, or how they saw each other. There was humor in trying to carry on as usual, and sadness in realizing why the usual schedule no longer worked. Sometimes the wrong time of year turned out to be just when someone needed it.
By Vocal Curation Team19 days ago in Resources
