Voices for Change
Black lives matter. Create a story to educate others, or share your experiences.
Prizes
Up to $2,500 donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which works to legally fight civil and human rights violations for the most vulnerable communities.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jun 02, 2020
Submissions closed
Jun 25, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 26, 2020
Prizes
Up to $2,500 donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which works to legally fight civil and human rights violations for the most vulnerable communities.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jun 02, 2020
Submissions closed
Jun 25, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 26, 2020
About this challenge
In Lieu of Prizes
Up to $2,500 donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which works to legally fight civil and human rights violations for the most vulnerable communities.
About
We always tell you that as our creators, you're our partners. This means we’re here to support you, but also to amplify your voices and listen to what you have to say. This week, in light of the heavy weight on the most vulnerable communities and the pressing conversations that need to be had openly and honestly, we’re introducing you to a new kind of Challenge.
For this Challenge, instead of dividing you all in friendly competition, we’re challenging you all as a community to come together and have those conversations. There won’t be a winner chosen, and we won’t be giving a cash prize to any single individual.
Instead, we’re giving you an open floor to tell us what you want people to know in light of the international conversations sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, and so many others lost to racist violence. Maybe that’s elaborating on your experiences as a Black person in America; maybe that’s you as a nonblack person sharing resources and lessons that you think your nonblack peers need to engage with. Create a story that takes the opportunity to educate others, share your own past experiences, or to share what you hope comes as a result of this huge cultural movement.
We want to challenge you all to share your voices, so our goal is to receive at least 250 entries to this Challenge by June 24 at 11:59pm EST. For the first 250 eligible entries we receive, we're pledging $10 per story to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which works to legally fight civil and human rights violations for the most vulnerable communities.
How to enter
In order for your story to be eligible, it must adhere to our Community Guidelines, and be applicable to, cognizant of, and respectful of the international conversations taking place about race inspired by protests around the United States. This Challenge is a place for the most vulnerable voices to speak candidly—entries that are determined by the Vocal team to be inflammatory, instigating, diminishing, or disrespectful in the context of these cultural conversations will be removed from the Challenge.
Open challenges
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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 Team2 days 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 Team8 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 Team16 days ago in Resources
