
Book Club
Write about a book that changed you.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Aug 10, 2023
Submissions closed
Sep 01, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Sep 21, 2023
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Aug 10, 2023
Submissions closed
Sep 01, 2023 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Sep 21, 2023
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write about a book that changed you.
Books can serve as windows into other worlds or mirrors that reflect our own experiences. They have the potential to comfort, challenge, or even redefine personal beliefs and worldviews. In honor of the launch of the BookClub community, this challenge seeks to explore the intimate relationship readers and writers share with books. If you've ever forged a deep connection with a book, that stayed with you well after you finished reading it, we want to hear about it. This isn't just a recount of the plot, but a deep dive into personal transformation or realization instigated by the words on a page.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- Between 300-3,000 words.
- Submitted to the BookClub community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process.
This challenge was inspired by Naomi Gold's comment on Introducing the BookClub Community.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $250
- 10 Runners-Up: $25
Reminder: There is a Bonus Boost for Vocal+ members, and entering this challenge can help you earn. If you publish in all four of our new communities—BookClub, Writers, Chapters, and Critique—before 11:59PM EST on 9/01/2023, you'll be eligible to receive a $10 Bonus.
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it should be between 300 and 3,000 words, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on August 31, 2023 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Book Club Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://shopping-feedback.today/vocal-plus%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E%3Cp class="css-1923z11-Text">To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up 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 countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Instructions Included
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Challenge resources
The Ritual of Winter Challenge Winners
Welcome to the Winners Announcement for The Ritual of Winter challenge. This prompt focused on winter rituals and the meaning that settles into them over time. The top pieces stay grounded in ordinary acts and repeated routines, letting winter shape the work through pace, attention, and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Teama day ago in Resources
FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team3 days ago in Resources
FPS: Villanelle of Regret Challenge Winners
Some feelings don’t fade. They repeat. The Villanelle of Regret challenged poets to write into that return. To let regret, longing, and obsession build with each pass, rather than resolve. The strongest entries trusted repetition to carry the weight.
By Vocal Curation Team29 days ago in Resources






