Identity Challenge Winners
An inside look into the Vocal Curation Team's favorite stories and poems from the Identity Challenge
Sam Eliza Green has been a creator with Vocal since the summer of 2021, and has published 114 pieces — warm congratulations on their first Challenge win. Their free-flowing poem, You, and I, and She takes first place in our Identity Challenge, its short lines a conversation about being and feeling, one which inhabits emotion with exploratory language. We loved the images of a winter “when nothing feels right/ and wrong has carved/ into my skin like/ the sharp snap/ of abandonment.” Image and sensation do a slow dance that draws the reader in.
Alvin Ang’s personal essay, I Got Brutally Knocked Out—And It Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me is a very straightforward expression of our challenge: a description and analysis of a moment that changed the creator’s life. It’s done with vividness and clarity, so we sense every moment of anticipation, of the fight itself, its shocking result — and the difficult but eventually positive knock-on effect. This is an inspirational piece.
Praise too for our runner-up, like Prairie Johnson, whose Dear People is a letter from her 17-year-old self to all fellow humans; there are terrific lines here. We were caught right away by the opening, “Dear humans that taste sunlight like lime juice, like earth, like my own limbs do,/ I want to love you.” R. C. Taylor’s Butterfly-Skinned Girl is an ancestral hymn, a calling, full of images of hope and transformation. And Carl L Lane’s Too Black is a powerful essay that confronts racism and colorism head-on. “We knew of no world where we were beautiful,” Lane writes, but his strong prose proves otherwise. This is how the world changes, one narrative at a time.
You can check out the full list of winners HERE and learn about our current challenges below:
About the Creator
Vocal Curation Team
Collaborative, conscious, and committed to content. We're rounding up the best that the Vocal network has to offer.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Comments (26)
Congratulations to the winner.
The winning entries were both so raw & beautiful. I look forward to reading the rest. So honored to have been chosen as a runner up! Thank you Vocal! This page inspires me everyday. https://vocal.media/horror/my-coming-of-age-ghost-story
Thank you so much for selecting me, team! I look forward to writing more stories for you guys :)
Well done, great job everyone and have a Happy New Year!! ^___^
Most welcome and come to the point.
https://vocal.media/journal/alabama-going-to-great-lengths-to-maintain-secrecy-ahead-of-michigan-matchup-in-rose-bowl
Fine
Congratulations! all 💖👍
Very nice
Congratulations!
Congratulations everyone! 🥳🥳🥳
Congrats to all ;-)
Keep up good work
Congrats y'all! You deserve it.
Congrats to all the winners!!! 💫
Many Congratulations!
Congratulations to all of the writers,
Congratulations, everyone! You, and I, and She was absolutely breathtaking <3
Congratulations to the winners! This was a very tough one!
Congrats everyone.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Congratulations everyone. It was a fun challenge, some incredible entries
Congrats to the winners and runner-ups!
I have so much appreciation for the Vocal Team and all their hard work. I am also blessed to have such amazing, supportive readers, whose comments have helped me feel so connected and motivate me to keep chasing my dreams. Many thanks to everyone for giving me the chance to be here and be honestly vulnerable. I am stunned and, of course, grateful for this acknowledgment. ❤️
Terrific!!! Congrats!!!❤️❤️💕