Past Life Challenge Winners

Who hasn't dreamed of living in a different time? You could go back or forward in time, bring your knowledge with you, see how you fit into the place, change their reality with yours. Yes, we've all thought about that possibility!

But for this Challenge, we wanted to see what Creators would choose if they really were born into a different time, no current knowledge to take, just the opportunity to land their dream gig, spend their lives doing something of value in a different world. What would you choose to be? A painter? A blacksmith? A destroyer of worlds? An engine mechanic on an interstellar craft?

We received so many incredible occupational ideas, some we never even knew existed. This was a very fun Challenge and as always we thank you all for sharing your unbelievably varied and brilliant stories with us!

Here are the winners of the Past Life Challenge and spotlight on one of the Runners-Up. You can check out the full list of winners HERE.

$500 Grand Prize Winner

Catherine Dorian for Finding A Name

You wouldn’t think there’d be an intimacy to the upper eyelid...

This story blew us away in its flawless execution of the Challenge prompt. We were completely surprised and delighted by the depth of knowledge, sharing of facts and mental elements of the occupation of facial reconstructionist, so much so that we wonder if Dorian has written about this before (which is totally great!) or if she did a deep dive just for this Challenge. Either way, we were truly riveted.

What we loved most about this story was the weaving in of the subtle combination of skills that must go into this occupation. Part art, part psychology, part builder, part science, part investigator, all of them add up to what we now know is an incredibly interesting and important occupation. We thank the author for teaching us about Betty Pat Gatliff and all those who help solve the seemingly unsolvable. Congratulations, Catherine Dorian!

$250 Second Place Winner

J. S. Wade for My Uncivil War

Coarse rope abraded my neck like a saw through rotten timber.

As so many of the comments on this story mention, we too thought this was an epic in miniature, a future movie waiting to be filmed, just one small part of a much larger story. The writing was excellent, especially how well the author placed us in 1865 Galveston, but what really moved us was the fact that this was what the author chose to become in their fantasy occupation. The Challenge was to write about a dream occupation in another time and J. S. Wade chose to write about a hard won, tough moment in American history. The protagonist was beaten and crippled but a hero with heart and an unmatched work ethic. They weren't afraid to do something difficult in order to save lives. We really loved this story and hope to see it grow on Vocal or the big screen. Congratulations, J. S. Wade!

Honorable Mention

Frank Havemann for Spearmaker

I limp out to my forge as she scampers down the path with her buckets, and I start arranging my tools.

This story was diminutive, quiet, powerful. A quick moment in time of a blacksmith doing his best to survive. There is no ego in this story, only survival, a desire to provide for his family coupled with the understanding that community was everything. Everyone relied on each other, whether they wanted to or not, for without the blacksmith there was no axe and without the axe there was no firewood and without the firewood there was no heat and without heat, no survival. On and on in this brilliant almost-parable of the tenuous nature of survival and how at our best, humans rely on one another to create a symbiotic system in which everyone prospers fairly. Well done, Frank Havemann!

-----

Check out more of our Challenges below: