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Whodunit
Write a crime fiction story.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $300
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 12, 2023
Submissions closed
Jan 06, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 18, 2024
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $300
- 10 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 12, 2023
Submissions closed
Jan 06, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 18, 2024
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a crime fiction story.
Unleash your inner detective to craft a crime fiction story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Explore the depths of mystery as you weave a tale of deception and intrigue. You can experiment with different sub-genres within crime fiction, from noir to cozy mysteries. Here are some elements to include to make your crime fiction come alive:
- Engaging Plot: Create a compelling mystery that challenges both the characters and readers to uncover the truth.
- Well-Developed Characters: Develop multi-dimensional characters with hidden motives and secrets.
- Atmosphere and Suspense: Build a palpable sense of tension and anticipation that immerses the reader in your crime.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- A crime fiction story.
- Between 600-3,500 words.
- Submitted to the Criminal community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $300
- 10 Runners-Up: $20
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it should adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on January 5, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Whodunit 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.
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Challenge resources
Summer Solstice Challenge Winners
‘Safety Net’, by Meredith Harmon, begins in a confiding tone. ‘What town?’ the tale asks. ‘We're an enclave. We're farmers. We till the soil like our forefathers, and our children's children's children will till it, till the end of time.’ There is a folkloric sensibility here, suited to the prompt, but also something contemporary and practical. This winning story of a community trying to protect and preserve itself has echoes of Shirley Jackson’s famous tale ‘The Lottery’, Meredith is a strong Vocal Creator with 225 stories to her name; and this is her second first place win of a challenge; huge congratulations.
By Vocal Curation Team9 days ago in Resources
Let's Talk About AI and Vocal Challenges
We might as well cut to the chase. Yes, we run every challenge entry through our AI detector; if we find an entry has been generated, it’s disqualified. As Justin Maury, Founder/CEO of Vocal has written, we use these detection systems because we know our readers enjoy authentic content; we also ask you to disclose when you’ve posted on the platform using AI assistance. But a different issue comes into play when we’re thinking about Challenges, and we believe it’s an important one.
By Vocal Curation Team11 days ago in Resources
Dialogue Poetry Challenge Winners
Hannah Moore is a first-time grand prize winner with her dialogue poem, On Receipt of Bad News. This was a poem that genuinely engaged both with the exchange of our prompt, but also focussed on the way poetic rhythms of language could support the writer's conceit. It felt very truthful, too, the way one speaker wishes to ignore the news and focus on practicalities; there was a quiet heartbreak, here. Well done.
By Vocal Curation Team16 days ago in Resources