Introducing the Vocal Writing Awards
Since 2021, Vocal has given back over $2M to creators through writing Challenges. Now, we're excited to introduce a new writing contest that allows winners to share in a percentage of the entry fees. The more you help us spread the word about Vocal, the larger the prize pool grows.
How to enter
Join Vocal, it's free
Sign up to Vocal for free. If you already have an account, you're good to go.
Publish your story on Vocal
Craft your story following the Vocal Awards category prompt of your choice, and publish it on Vocal.
Submit to Awards category
After publishing your story on Vocal, navigate to this page, select the category, and submit your published story's URL along with the entry fee.
Spread the word
Promote and encourage your friends and family to join the Vocal Awards to increase the prize pool. Plus, you'll get $5 for every writer you nominate who enters.
Your voice, your choice
Our team of expert judges, led by former Times literary editor Erica Wagner, will curate a shortlist for each category. From there, we'll be passing the reigns to the participants and Vocal community to choose the winners through community voting.
Vocal Awards Timeline
Flash Fiction
Tell a complete fiction story about any topic in just 250 words or less. Unleash your creativity and submit your concise, yet powerful narratives to the Flash Fiction category.
Science Fiction
Submit your stories that explore futuristic landscapes, alternate realities, or extraordinary realms, showcasing your imaginative prowess and narrative skills.
Fantasy Fiction
Step into the realm of Fantasy, where magic reigns and mythical creatures roam. Unleash your imagination, crafting narratives that whisk readers away to extraordinary worlds.
Horror Fiction
Craft spine-chilling tales that evoke fear, suspense, and the supernatural, leaving readers with goosebumps long after they've reached the last pixel.
Young Adult Fiction
From coming-of-age tales to fantastical adventures, submit your stories that resonate with the experiences and themes of young adulthood.
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Romance Fiction
Where love takes center stage. Weave stories that capture the essence of love, passion, and deep connections. Let your romantic tale touch hearts.
Free Verse Poetry
Where traditional rules are set aside in favor of personal expression. Transform your thoughts and emotions into compelling verses. Share your poetic voice with the world.
Haiku Poetry
Delve into the art of haiku and submit your captivating three-line poems that encapsulate the beauty of fleeting moments.
FAQs
The Vocal Writing Awards is a writing contest hosted by Vocal, celebrating the diverse voices and extraordinary storytelling of our platform.
Anyone with a Vocal account can participate. All you need is your best story and a $20 entry fee. Vocal+ members receive 50% off one entry per category.
To submit to Vocal Writing Awards, you simply head over to: awards.vocal.media
- Select the category you’d like to participate in and tap the Submit button
- From there, you will be directed to a Stripe checkout. Paste the URL of your published Vocal story and pay the entry fee. If you have a discount code for a free entry, enter your code.
The Vocal Awards feature several categories, including Flash Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Romance Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, and Haiku Poetry.
Earning $5 by nominating a writer for the Vocal Writing Awards is as simple as a few clicks. Just look for the "Nominate & get $5" button in the navigation or the purple bar at the bottom of this page. Sign up or log in, grab your unique link, and start sharing it with your network.
Whether they're friends, family, or writers you admire on platforms like Medium, Substack, or Wattpad, share your link with them via email, social media, text message, or any other way you prefer. For every writer you nominate who enters the contest, we'll send you a $5 gift card.
There's no limit to how many people you can nominate, so the potential rewards are endless. For more details on how to nominate writers, check out our resource here.
A team of experts, led by former Times literary editor Erica Wagner, will curate a shortlist for each category. From there, we're handing the reins over to you, the creators, to choose the winners amongst your peers through community voting.
Yes, you can submit different stories to each category. However, the same story cannot be submitted to more than one category.
Submissions close on 9/30/2023. View the Vocal Awards timeline.
The Rules & Guidelines for the Vocal Awards can be found here.