The Unnecessary Line

The Prompt

Poems are built on intention. Each line earns its place through sound, sense, or pressure. This challenge asks you to break that contract once and not repair it.

The unnecessary line may feel off-key, overly literal, emotionally misaligned, or as if it belongs to another poem entirely. It should not be justified, reframed, or resolved by the lines around it. Its presence is the point.

What matters is not the strangeness of the line itself, but how the poem holds, or fails to hold, around it. The poem doesn't need to explain why the line is there, only to live with the consequences of its inclusion.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• A poem (any style or structure is welcome).
• Between 100 and 500 words.
• Submitted to the Poets community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
• Submitted before February 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Your work must be original and unpublished.

The Prizes

• 5 Winners: $200 each
• 15 Runners-up: $15 each
• 10 Honorable Mentions: $5 each

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 100 and 500 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until February 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The The Unnecessary Line Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win, you must be over the age of 13 and reside 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 a Stripe account created and connected to receive prizes. Entrants located outside of these countries will not be eligible to win.