I Didn’t Say That Out Loud Challenge Winners

You don’t always realize how much you’re holding in until the words start to come out.

For this challenge, we asked you to write the things you don’t say out loud, and the response was overwhelming. These poems unearth fears, held-back anger, complicated love, and the kind of honesty that doesn’t always fit into conversation.

This was one of the hardest challenges to judge so far this year, not just because of the sheer number of incredible entries, but because so many of them stayed with us.

Here are the ones we kept thinking about.

🏆 $500 Grand Prize Winner: What I Don't Say When You Call by Carolina Borges

Carolina's first-place poem folds unspoken pain into something fragile and exact. Each line walks a tightrope between longing and restraint, and by the end, you feel the weight of everything that’s gone unsaid.

🥈 $200 Second Place: Consent. by Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh.

Cathy's second-place entry comes in hot. Her voice doesn’t flinch, even when the words hurt. Each one reclaims space and turns silence into something that resonates with power.

🎖️ Runners-up: $15 Each

Rotten Fruit in the Fridge by Tim Carmichael

Tim Carmichael's runner-up poem feels like a secret left out too long. Quiet, bruised, and all the more honest for it.

Mars Opposes Pluto in Cancer (2025) by ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR

ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR's entry smolders. Each line aches like something you’re too used to feeling.

The Silence Between Pronouns by Jennifer Vasallo

Jennifer Vasallo's poem hums with tenderness. It carries both the cost of silence and the courage to break it.

The Horror in the Reflection by Iris Obscura

Iris Obscura's runner-up spirals inward, folding rawness into rhythm until there’s nowhere left to hide.

The Things I Don't Say by Denise Larkin

Denise Larkin's verse exhales softly. Every pause feels earned, every silence full.

What I Don’t Say by Alain SUPPINI

Alain SUPPINI's lines echo like a closed door. What isn’t said hits just as hard.

note by Belle

Belle's poem pulses with pressure. It holds grief like a breath you can’t release.

I Am Bursting by Ariana GonBon

Ariana GonBon lights the match and walks away. Fierce, fast, unforgettable.

You Don't Love Me by Autumn S.

Autumn S. writes what vanishing feels like. Every line recedes, but none disappear.

Becoming Visible by Emmie Falbo

Emmie Falbo's poem glows with quiet self-truths. It doesn’t ask for love — it claims it.

Bite Your Tongue, Carol by Carol Ann Townend

Carol Ann Townend's verses don’t whisper. They roar through the years that silence tried to keep.

Gag Order by J. Nicholas Merchen

J. Nicholas Merchen's verse edges close to the unspeakable. You feel it before you read it.

Post This Before You Lose Your Nerve by Katie L. Oswald (BookDragon)

Katie L. Oswald's lines don’t flinch. They let the silence breathe, then burn it down.

Tough by Judey Kalchik

Judey flips the word ‘tough’ on its back and makes it say something new.

God Is Dead. And So Are You. by River and Celia in Underland

River and Celia's confession slices sharp. The truth stings, and it should.

🏅 Honorable Mentions

As our challenges continue to grow, we are celebrating even more incredible writers with Honorable Mentions—a special spotlight for stories that stand out for their creativity, originality, or emotional impact. Writers who receive an Honorable Mention get a special badge that appears on their profile, showcasing their achievement and contributions to the Vocal community.

• Inheritance by Theo James Taylor
• Room Three by Sandor Szabo
• 2025 by L.K. Rolan
• The Fiery Reclaiming by Jose Soto
• to break bread by R.C. Taylor
• Evidentiary Support by K.B. Silver
• shhhhh... by Charmaine
• They don't know by Daniel K
• scar tissue by Kristen Balyeat
• DEBTS by Ross E Fortune Lombardi

To explore more Challenges, please visit Vocal Challenges.