
Echoes of the Year’s Lessons
Reflect on the past year and share a story that reveals a profound lesson or insight that stayed with you.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 06, 2024
Submissions closed
Dec 23, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 09, 2025
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 06, 2024
Submissions closed
Dec 23, 2024 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 09, 2025
About this challenge
The Prompt
Reflect on the past year and share a story that reveals a profound lesson or insight that stayed with you.
As 2024 comes to an end, the Motivation community invites you to look back and gather the moments that defined your year. Perhaps it was a challenge that tested your resolve, an unexpected victory, or a simple realization that shifted your perspective. Write an essay that takes readers through your journey, inspiring them to reflect on their own year with a fresh lens. Your story could be the mirror someone needs to see their own growth or the encouragement they need for the year ahead.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- A story, 1,000 to 2,000 words in length.
- Submitted to the Motivation community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
- Submitted before December 22, 2024 at 11:59PM ET
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $200
- 15 Runners-Up: $25 each
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 1,000 to 2,000 words in length and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until December 22, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Echoes of the Year’s Lessons Challenge is 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 reside 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 a Stripe account created and connected to receive prizes. Entrants located outside of these countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
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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 Teamabout 13 hours 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 Team2 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 Team28 days ago in Resources







