Word Hunt Challenge Winners

This Challenge reaffirmed two core tenets at Vocal. The first is that we love working with Creators in coming up with Challenges and the second is that the simplest of prompts- use three words found in a puzzle - will yield spectacular results.

Of course, the challenge here was how to weave together the words found in the puzzle into a story, or, how to use them as a jumping off point for an entire story. We were so happy to see that nobody did away with their three words quickly and moved on to the rest of the story. In every single entry we read, the words were deeply embedded into the meaning of the story, not just tossed in to complete the Challenge. They shaped the story, gave it its meaning.

To prove how powerful a simple prompt can be, we must share that this may be the most varied set of stories we've ever received for a Challenge. If you haven't already, we highly recommend starting at the beginning and working your way down the list.

Here are the winners of the Word Hunt Challenge. You can check out the full list of winners HERE.

Grand Prize Winner

Joe Luca for They Called Her Myth

I thought for sure that this creature, this woman, was nothing more than sorrow and pain mixed with the sounds and smells of the sea.

They Called Her Myth embodies so many aspects of a great short story. To start, emotion and heart were the engines of this story. It is what kept our protagonist moving and what drew us in as readers. We felt deeply for him and his loss at every step. Couple this with a deft understanding of the delicacy of loss; we weren't battered over the head with sadness. There was a serenity to this sadness, especially when coupled with the windswept landscape. In a good story, everything (quite literally everything) reflects the state of mind of the protagonist. This was a perfect example of that ethos.

Finally, what made this story so strong was its subtle use of magical realism. Often, there is no need to celebrate the magic too much. Let it do its work quietly. The author let the heart, the emotion speak first, then the magic. That's what makes a great magical realist story. That's what makes a great story. Frankly, there is a lot of deep literary understanding in this story. If you're looking for a story in which you can learn how to write with balance, nuance, depth, this is it. Congratulations, Joe Luca!

Second Place Winner

Ashley Lima for The Longest Night

The trees were thick, but naked, except for the speckled evergreens, highlighting the death that winter brings.

Similar to our grand prize winner, The Longest Night showed a keen understanding of balance. Just like with magical realism, horror can quickly tip into the absurd, rely on thin tropes, become a joke. From the first sentence, this story carried a cold, dark air that remained potent throughout. We're presented with a man alone with his horse. But he's safe, he's home, and yet, it's the solstice. Anything can happen. We found there to be just enough comforting fact (a solid man, sure in his life) mixed with the unanswerable (the solstice) to raise the hairs on our necks. It's that balance, that knife's edge of will it happen, won't it happen, that makes a horror story great. To say nothing of the incredibly beautiful and detailed descriptions of nature and man's connection with the animal world. Congratulations, Ashley Lima!

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