Unreliable

The Prompt

Step into the mind of a narrator you can't trust! In this challenge, you'll craft a story told through the lens of an unreliable narrator—someone whose perspective warps reality in intriguing, deceptive, or downright confusing ways. Whether your narrator is deliberately hiding the truth, struggling with their own perception, or simply unaware of their flaws, you'll guide readers through a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

This is your chance to play with reader expectations, twist perceptions, and create a narrative that keeps people guessing until the very end. Does your character know more than they’re letting on? Or are they trapped in a misunderstanding they can't escape? Whatever the case, the unreliable narrator invites readers to question everything and look deeper for the truth.

What is an unreliable narrator?

An unreliable narrator is a character in a story who is not trustworthy. Their account of events cannot be fully believed. The narrator's unreliability can be intentional or unintentional, and can be caused by a number of factors, including:

Deception: The narrator may deliberately mislead the reader by withholding information or lying.

Mental state: The narrator may have a distorted view of events due to problems with their mental state or maturity.

Circumstances: The narrator may be unreliable due to circumstances beyond their control.

Unreliable narrators are often used in first-person narration, which highlights the narrator's motives. The technique subverts the reader's expectation that the story is believable, and tests their assumptions about what they can trust.

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

• Between 600-2,500 words.
• Narrated from the perspective of an unreliable narrator.

The Prizes

• Grand Prize: $500
• Second Place: $200
• 10 Runners-Up: $20

Special shout-out to Paul Stewart, Bridget Couture, and Mackenzie Davis for inspiring this challenge idea in Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.

For your piece to be eligible, it should follow the rules above and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on September 27, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Unreliable 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.

Any content that is determined to be generated by artificial intelligence will be disqualified and will not be eligible to place in any challenge. Read more on our stance here.