
The Perfect Pairing
Share your favorite, most creative food and wine pairings.
Prizes
- First place:
- $2,500 + $100 Gift Card
- Second place:
- $1,000 + $100 Gift Card
- Third place:
- $500 + $100 Gift Card
Gift Cards can be used to purchase Bright Cellars wines, but not required.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 30, 2020
Submissions closed
Dec 11, 2020 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 15, 2020
Prizes
- First place:
- $2,500 + $100 Gift Card
- Second place:
- $1,000 + $100 Gift Card
- Third place:
- $500 + $100 Gift Card
Gift Cards can be used to purchase Bright Cellars wines, but not required.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 30, 2020
Submissions closed
Dec 11, 2020 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 15, 2020
About this challenge
We strongly believe that two is better than one—at least when it comes to good food and drinks. While we all have our personal preferences, we’re curious to hear some of your most creative (and surprisingly good) food pairings—especially when it comes to the holidays! Whether it’s a classic cheese and wine duo, or a more timely take on this classic, such as a slice of pumpkin pie with a chilled glass of white wine, we want to hear why you deem this pairing the ultimate match made in heaven.
We’ve partnered with Bright Cellars for this Challenge. Bright Cellars' mission is all about offering a personalized experience, so we want this Challenge to reflect a pairing unique to you! Tell us what makes it your go-to, when was the first time you came across this duo, and anything else that could help us understand why this particular pairing, as simple or as crazy as it may be, will be a must for you during this holiday season. Of course, feel free to browse Bright Cellars' stellar wine selection for some inspiration!
If you'd like to treat yourself to some personalized wine, feel free to use this link for 50% off of your first 6-bottle box of Bright Cellars!🍷
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until December 10, 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. Bright Cellars is only able to operate in the continental U.S. Additionally, Bright Cellars is unable to ship to Hawaii, Alaska, Utah, Mississippi, Kentucky, Michigan, and Delaware.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Instructions Included
Tell a story in the form of instructions, guidelines, or a how-to manual for something fictional or mundane.
$200 Grand Prize5 days leftNothing But Voices
Write a complete short story using only dialogue. No descriptions, no dialogue tags, and no internal thoughts. Just voices on the page.
$200 Grand Prize12 days leftPublic Announcement
Write a poem that takes the form of a public announcement, notice, or warning.
$200 Grand Prize17 days leftMismatch
Write a story that blends two contrasting genres, such as horror and romance, science fiction and western, or fantasy and noir.
$200 Grand Prize19 days leftCraft Over Catharsis
Write a story that prioritizes structure, technique, or form over emotional release.
$200 Grand Prize26 days leftInstructions for a Feeling
Write a poem that gives instructions for how to experience, create, or avoid a feeling.
$200 Grand Prize31 days leftRituals of Affection
Write a story about a recurring ritual tied to love, romance, or connection. Something about it is unusual, unsettling, or unexplained.
$200 Grand Prize33 days left
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 Team2 days 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 Team4 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 Teamabout a month ago in Resources






