Whodunit Challenge Winners
An inside look into the Vocal Curation Team's favorite poems from the Whodunit Challenge
I was there… but how reliable is eyewitness testimony, really? That’s the question GK Bird asks in a stylish winning piece with that title. This Down Under writer has placed as a runner-up in our Vocal Challenges, and then moved to second place, and now is finally in the winner’s circle, so big congratulations. “I know exactly what happened!” one character exclaims as the tale opens, but then we are given shifting perspectives on the scene, undercutting our assumptions and building suspense around ‘the incident’. Well done!
Parwana Fayyaz comes in second place with Dis-Appearance, a story evocatively set in Afghanistan (“The drying dust starts flying over the hilly landscapes of Kabul. Covering the mountains in an opaque veil.”) which dramatizes the treatment of women in that land while creating a compelling narrative around the moving character of Seema as she goes to bake her daily bread.
A solid ‘whodunit’ is no small matter to create: there’s so many elements that have to come together. Structure, character, style all have to be in place and we had some terrific entries for this challenge. Bravo to Elle Marie for Something in the Water — a runner-up with their very first Vocal story. This hospital ward tale of suspicious deaths in a fish tank is confidently done. Rachel Pollock, a Vocal+ Fiction Award Winner, creates great atmosphere in Stillwaters: there’s powerful use of language here, and as with our winner, shifting perspectives are nicely turned. Finally, Noel T. Cumberland’s Page Thirty-Seven was nicely old skool but modern too, riffing on the detective genre but lifting off from “a cockamamie plan for a Father/Daughter P.I. agency”.
It’s no mystery why all these tales kept us hooked from the first sentence. Whodunit? Why, the Vocal Creators, of course.
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
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Comments (10)
We all did good, even those of us who didn't get noticed, but I know that out of the thousands of submissions, only a chosen few can make the top of the list. So, congratulations to the winners, and for the rest of us; better luck next time.
I sat staring at my laptop for half an hour before giving up on this challenge and writing a poem instead. I think it takes a particular type of mind to write great Whodunits, so congratulations to all those who placed or even entered this difficult challenge!
Congratulations winners! I can't wait to read your stories. We'll done, indeed.
Wow so exciting!! Congrats to the top stories! :)
Congrats everyone! 😁
Congratulations!
Very excited and grateful to be a runner up! Loved reading several already and looking forward to reading the rest!
Wow!! These were incredible. Congratulations to everyone!!
Congratulations everyone!!!❤️❤️💕
Congratulations guys! Some really great stories here