
Wave Makers
Share how you plan to help reduce your carbon footprint and further protect our oceans.
Prizes
- First place:
- $2,500
- Second place:
- $1,000
- Third place:
- $500
Vocal will make a $2,500 matching donation to the Waterkeeper Alliance®.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 22, 2021
Submissions closed
May 26, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 01, 2021
Prizes
- First place:
- $2,500
- Second place:
- $1,000
- Third place:
- $500
Vocal will make a $2,500 matching donation to the Waterkeeper Alliance®.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 22, 2021
Submissions closed
May 26, 2021 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Jun 01, 2021
About this challenge
Our oceans cover 71 percent of the planet and are home to the valuable species and ecosystems we rely on for food, resources, and climate regulation. Protecting the oceans starts with us. That's why for this Challenge, we're calling on you, our community of conscious creators, to help us make waves for much-needed change. Share how you plan to make adjustments in your everyday life to help reduce your carbon footprint and further protect our oceans from further destruction.
Most carbon emissions we create are not intentional–they're simple decisions we make every day without thinking of the consequences. That's why we've launched our newest community, Earth, home for sustainability hacks to the latest on climate change to Mother Nature appreciation, and everything about the planet we call home.
Tell us how you're recycling, reducing, and reusing to help minimize your carbon emissions, and share those tips so that others can join us in making a difference. If you don't know where to start, this is a great time to think about how you want to begin making small but impactful changes in your daily life. Whether you choose to carpool, start using reusable household items over a single-use plastic, or compost your food waste, provide us with information to educate us all on how to do better together.
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until May 25, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Wave Makers 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 35 countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Out of Season
Write a story about something appearing, happening, or returning at exactly the wrong time of year.
$1,000 Grand Prize5 days leftNegative Space
Write a poem shaped by what's missing. Let an absence, omission, or empty space become as important as what you put on the page.
$1,000 Grand Prize12 days leftYou Are Here
Write a story entirely in second person that puts the reader somewhere they aren't supposed to be.
$1,000 Grand Prize19 days leftOctober
Write a poem that makes October feel like a place you can enter.
$1,000 Grand Prize26 days leftDead Air
Write a horror story about a broadcast, recording, phone call, or transmission that should not exist.
$1,000 Grand Prize33 days leftScroll No More
Imagine that every smartphone in the world suddenly stops working. Write about what happens next.
$1,000 Grand Prize40 days leftNo One Remembers It That Way
Write about a memory that you and someone else remember completely differently.
$1,000 Grand Prize47 days leftSteal From Yourself
Return to something you wrote years ago and use one idea, image, character, or line from it to create something entirely new.
$1,000 Grand Prize54 days leftNot on the Menu
Write about something memorable you ate that you'd never find on a restaurant menu.
$1,000 Grand Prize61 days left
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 Team4 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 Team10 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 Team18 days ago in Resources








