
The Little Things
Submit a poem inspired by finding joy in something small.
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
All winners will also receive a framed Amber Vittoria print.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jun 29, 2020
Submissions closed
Aug 01, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Aug 07, 2020
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
All winners will also receive a framed Amber Vittoria print.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jun 29, 2020
Submissions closed
Aug 01, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Aug 07, 2020
About this challenge
In the midst of what’s been a hectic year, we want to celebrate the little things that make us smile. We’ve teamed up with artist Amber Vittoria for this Challenge. Her work is a constant reminder of happiness and celebrating life, so we’re sharing one of her prints, My New Friend, for you to get inspired. This piece in particular was inspired by the idea of finding joy in the smaller things in life—and now we’re asking you to use that inspiration to fuel your own creativity.
For this Challenge, we want you to submit a poem inspired by finding joy in something small, using Amber’s art as a source of inspiration to help get you started. Enter the Challenge for a chance to win prizes up to $1,000, and a framed print of Amber’s work to keep as a reminder that happiness can be found in tiny places.
How to enter
For your poem to be eligible, it must be between 100 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until July 31, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 35 countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
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Write a haiku that captures a small, precise moment from the present without reflection or commentary.
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Write a story set in a world where a well-known myth exists that focuses on a detail the myth simplifies, ignores, or distorts.
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Write a story that opens at the edge of a beginning that feels uncertain, partial, or reluctant and avoid resolution.
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Write a poem that states its central concern directly without metaphor, indirection, or symbolic substitution.
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Write a story centered on an unspoken rule that everyone in the story understands and follows, allowing the rule to emerge through behavior.
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Challenge resources
Mismatch Challenge Winners
Blending genres isn’t about stacking elements side by side. It’s about what happens when two sets of expectations refuse to cooperate. The strongest entries in the Mismatch Challenge understood that tension and leaned into it. Rather than smoothing the edges, these stories let their chosen genres complicate one another, creating friction that carried through voice, structure, and consequence.
By Vocal Curation Team15 days ago in Resources
Public Announcement Challenge Winners
For the Public Announcement Challenge, writers were asked to work inside voices built for control. These were notices, warnings, and updates meant to inform rather than confess. The strongest entries committed to that form and didn't break from it. Corporate memos, formal government alerts, and internal policy language were held consistently, allowing emotion, fear, grief, or humor to surface indirectly through pressure rather than declaration. The following poems recognize the voice of authority, and let human feeling slip through despite all its rules and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team20 days ago in Resources






