New Year, New Projects Challenge Winners

The new year is a time to dream big, and in the New Year, New Projects Challenge, we asked creators to share their boldest creative resolutions for 2025. From books and businesses to personal growth and passion projects, we wanted to hear about the goals driving your year ahead.

With over 200 submissions, our winners stood out by presenting clear, ambitious projects with a strong vision for execution. To qualify, entries had to be between 1,000 and 2,000 words, submitted to the Motivation community, and align with the challenge theme.

Now, we’re excited to celebrate the winners who inspired us with their plans to turn ideas into action.

🏆 $1000 Grand Prize Winner: Inspired By the Worlds That Horses Create by Elle M. Athens

Elle M. Athens’ story stood out for its unique vision and structured plan to bring equestrian fiction to a wider audience. Her 2025 goal is to write and publish horse-centered stories that capture the depth of horse culture while making them universally relatable. With a clear roadmap, including Vocal engagement and a book by year’s end, her passion and commitment made this a winning entry.

🥈 $200 Second Place: You say you want a resolution, yeah by Ber Lynn

Ber Lynn’s story stood out for its deeply personal and inspiring journey of growth. Her 2025 goal is to expand her creative presence by reaching 1,000 YouTube subscribers, becoming a Twitch partner, and making Vocal a bigger part of her writing journey. With a commitment to self-improvement, education, and storytelling, her entry showcased resilience, ambition, and a clear plan for turning past struggles into a thriving creative future.

🎖️ Runners-up: $15 Each

A Musical Endeavor by Gabriel Huizenga

Gabriel Huizenga’s story stood out for its dedication to consistent creative growth. His 2025 goal is to write, record, and share one original song per month on YouTube and Vocal, prioritizing creative expression over perfection. With a heartfelt commitment to sharing music with his community and embracing artistic vulnerability, his project embodies the spirit of persistence, connection, and creative evolution.

365 Days of Vocal by L.K. Rolan

L.K. Rolan’s story stood out for its unique approach to fostering a stronger writing community. Their 2025 goal is to read 30 new Vocal stories each month, engaging with and supporting fellow writers while using these readings to refine their own craft.

Inspiring Trailblazers: The 2025 Weekly Monday Morning Huddle Project by Marilyn Glover

Marilyn Glover’s story stood out for its commitment to fostering motivation and community through storytelling. Her 2025 goal is to launch a weekly series on Vocal that blends nature-inspired reflections with uplifting messages to start the week on a positive note. By combining personal photography, spiritual insights, and the power of storytelling, her project creates a virtual space for encouragement and connection, making it a standout in this challenge.

Lane the Tarot Reader by Lane Burns

Lane Burns’ story stood out for its bold and multifaceted creative resolution. In 2025, Lane plans to build a blog-based business that educates people on tarot while also offering personal readings, blending writing, content creation, and entrepreneurship. With a well-thought-out strategy that includes social media engagement, business research, and a commitment to long-term growth, this project is both ambitious and deeply personal. By embracing uncertainty and creativity in equal measure, Lane’s journey exemplifies the challenge’s spirit of exploration and transformation.

I'm here and I'm ready! by Sam Harty

Sam Harty’s story stood out for its powerful commitment to advocacy and healing. After years of personal growth, Sam’s 2025 goal is to train as a crisis hotline advocate for survivors of sexual trauma, turning lived experience into direct support for others. With a deep understanding of the challenges survivors face, their plan to take action—beyond writing—demonstrates resilience, courage, and a profound dedication to making a real difference.

CASTLING: The Novel that Refuses to Quit by Amanda Starks

Amanda Starks’ story stood out for its dedication to long-term creative persistence. After years of world-building, drafting, and refining, Amanda’s 2025 goal is to complete, edit, and publish CASTLING, an ambitious dark fantasy novel. With a structured plan for writing, professional editing, cover design, and marketing, her commitment to seeing this project through reflects both passion and perseverance, making it a standout entry.

Rekindling My Dream by Euan Brennan

Euan Brennan’s story stood out for its raw honesty and commitment to overcoming creative burnout. His 2025 goal is to break the cycle of unfinished drafts by polishing one manuscript for beta readers and taking it through professional editing. With a deep love for storytelling and a renewed determination to see his work published, his entry captures the struggle and triumph of persistence, making it a truly inspiring resolution.

2025 Writing Project by Barb Dukeman

Barb Dukeman’s story stood out for its deeply personal and ambitious goal of completing a historical murder mystery rooted in her family’s past. Drawing from extensive research, personal history, and decades of writing experience, she aims to craft a novel that blends fact and fiction while preserving a family legacy. With a structured approach, including beta readers and professional critique, her commitment to storytelling and honoring the past makes this a compelling and meaningful creative resolution.

Ezok and the Whispering Woods by Stephen A. Roddewig

Stephen A. Roddewig’s story stood out for its ambitious and collaborative approach to storytelling. His 2025 goal is to complete a novella that expands on a Vocal challenge entry, blending his original character, Ezok, with another writer’s world in a unique co-authored project. By weaving together dark fantasy, rich themes, and a deep respect for literary influences, his commitment to crafting a thoughtful, well-developed story makes this an exciting and standout creative resolution.

Lofty Goals for 2025 by Michelle Liew

Michelle Liew’s story stood out for its well-rounded and ambitious approach to personal and professional growth. Her 2025 goals span teaching innovations, expanding her writing across Vocal communities, publishing a pet care book, and launching a Patreon to share her diverse work. With a strong commitment to connecting with readers and balancing health, relationships, and creativity, Michelle’s thoughtful and structured plan embodies the challenge’s spirit of perseverance and meaningful progress.

A Novel Idea for 2025 by Stephanie Hoogstad

Stephanie Hoogstad’s story for 2025 stood out for its deep-rooted passion and long-term dedication to storytelling. After 13 years of world-building and refining her fantasy universe, her 2025 goal is to finally complete the first novel in her Beorn the Alchemist series. With a structured timeline for research, plotting, and writing, she is committed to crafting a rich, immersive narrative without rushing the creative process. Her perseverance and devotion to this project make her resolution both inspiring and compelling.

A New Year, A Novel Approach by Morgan Rhianna Bland

Morgan Rhianna Bland’s story stood out for its deeply personal and strategic approach to writing a novel that authentically represents underrepresented identities. After years of shifting creative focus, she is committing to writing a historical crime novel centered on two aroace protagonists in the 1920s. With extensive research, world-building, and a structured plan to complete and submit the book by 2026, her project is both ambitious and groundbreaking, making it a compelling entry in this challenge.

Don't Hold Your Breath for It, Breathe It into Life. by Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith’s story is a raw, deeply introspective piece that explores the struggles of balancing ambition with self-doubt. Her journey from suppressing her writing dreams to reigniting them through fanfiction and finally completing a first novel draft demonstrates immense personal growth. Her 2025 goal—to complete the main novel that has lived in her mind for over a decade—resonates with anyone who has ever chased a creative dream. With lyrical prose, she captures the fears, pressures, and exhilaration of pursuing writing as a career, making this a compelling and inspiring entry.

New Year, New Plans, New Perspective by The Schizophrenic Mom

The Schizophrenic Mom’s story is a heartfelt and methodical approach to goal-setting that goes beyond personal ambition—it seeks to help others tell their stories as well. The writer’s focus on perseverance, breaking stigmas surrounding schizophrenia, and using Vocal’s subscription feature to build a sustainable writing business adds layers of depth to the piece. The structured step-by-step breakdown of storytelling is particularly compelling, offering both a personal roadmap for success and a practical guide for readers looking to share their own experiences. This blend of personal insight, actionable strategy, and a desire to uplift others makes this entry truly deserving of recognition.

My 2025 Writing Goals Part Two: The Animated Series by Bradley Ramsey

Bradley Ramsey’s story is an ambitious transmedia project blending cosmic horror and comedy into an animated series, podcast, and interconnected short stories. His two-decade collaboration with animator James Nethery adds depth, and their meticulous world-building creates an immersive experience. Despite the challenge of balancing day jobs, their passion drives them to bring Clenchport to life, engaging fans through social media and storytelling. Ramsey’s commitment to creativity and perseverance makes this a well-deserved Runner-Up in the New Year, New Projects challenge.

🎉 $100 Bonus Prize: Getting Back to Bobby by J. Otis Haas

Our Bonus Prize winner is J. Otis Haas for Getting Back to Bobby! This fascinating project, Bobby and the Bitter Water, blends surrealism, social commentary, and feline perspective into a truly unique narrative. With plans to potentially serialize the novel on Vocal, Haas is embracing the platform as a storytelling space, making this an exciting project to watch unfold.

🏅 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.

• New Year’s Resolutions…again by Leigh Hooper
• My Little Book by Kendall Defoe
• Between Lines and Colors - A Writers and his Palette! by Henrik Hageland
• Through The Eye Of My iPhone by Kayla Lindley
• Hobbyist of Hobbies by Kendra J. Anthony
• New Year, New Projects, Neverchangeable by sleepy drafts
• Reassessing My Writing Goals by Kay Husnick
• Fresh Resolve by Ellen Stedfeld
• All Aboard! Train 2025 leaving the Station! by John Cox
• The Year Of Distribution by Jose Soto

To explore more Challenges, please visit Vocal Challenges.