Sensational II Challenge Winners
An inside look into the Vocal Curation Team's favorite stories from the Sensational II Challenge
‘We wore that summer as perfume’ runs the final line of Ava Mack’s winning poem for our Sensational II Challenge, ‘Fifteen’. One of the toughest aspects of any kind of writing is ‘sticking the landing’, to borrow a term from gymnastics, and Mack’s lovely little poem does just that, keeping to our rubric but adding the flourish of a perfect closing image.
In second place comes Zivah Avraham’s ‘Shimmer and Tremble’, which uses imagery from Jewish tradition to create a poem that transcends any particular belief system to center the reader in themselves. The sweet cinnamon and smoky clove are particularly evocative.
There were so many lovely and striking images in these entries. Kristen Balyeat’s ‘magnum opus’ conjured the bodily drama of birth in just a few powerful lines; Gabriel Huizenga’s ‘Even Here, Even Now’ used quotidian description — that beef hoagie — to take us to another world; D. J. Redall’s ‘Inky Elixir’ was an ode to coffee we couldn’t resist — with another great ending, ‘bold as a joke in church’.
Thanks to all our Vocal Creators for bringing us back to ourselves with these tactile poems. Sensational, indeed.
You can check out the full list of winners HERE and learn about our current challenges below:
About the Creator
Vocal Curation Team
Collaborative, conscious, and committed to content. We're rounding up the best that the Vocal network has to offer.
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Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
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Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
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Arguments were carefully researched and presented
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Niche topic & fresh perspectives
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More stories from Vocal Curation Team and writers in Vocal and other communities.
Unreliable Challenge Winners
A little while ago, we gave you an update on our thoughts regarding the use of AI content when it came to entering challenges. Spoiler alert, we don’t approve. But when it comes to using the idea of AI to create a really original and thoughtful story for one of our challenges? Bingo, we’ve got a winner. Congratulations to Matthew Fromm for How May I Assist You Today? — a story which channels the essential unreliability of a chatbot and in doing so gets to a father’s lonely heart. And — as it happens, Matthew’s work as a Vocal creator has just been noted by Vocal Social Society! We’re delighted to note this conjunction, and you can read Heather Hubler’s excellent interview with him on Vocal.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout a year ago in Resources
Getting Serious About Comedy (Part I)
If I were asked to remark on my life and the childhood that paved some road leading me to this point, I would have to say something about all the funny people who surrounded me for the last 26,872 days (and counting). Somewhere along that road, I became a big fan of laughter and the comedy that spawns it – and, I mean not only my own laughter, but the laughter of others, some of which I have actually been responsible for inducing.
By John Oliver Smith3 days ago in Humor
Comments (29)
Nice
Welldone
Congrats to everyone that placed and Ava for winning. So many names I recognise and love their writing.
Thank you, Vocal! Congratulations to all the winners and placers!
Well done everyone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👏👏👏👏
Congratulations to everyone who placed 💕
Congrats all! 🥳
Great job everyone! Excellent works all around!
Congratulations one and all, and humble thanks to the generous judges!
Very honored to be a runner up!! Congrats everyone!!
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you Vocal Media for naming me among them! I will be sure to read the ones I missed.
Well done to the winners!
Congratulations, everyone!
Congratulations to everyone! So honored to see my name on the list ☺️ Thank you, Vocal!
Congrats to everyone!
Congrats to all the winners. Well done, everyone. Also to Vocal: remember when you awarded additional RU for every day late you were in announcing the winners? You should do that again.
Congratulations to all! Unique and gorgeous entries!
Congratulations everyone!
Congratulations everyone!! I'm honored to have my piece included among such masterworks, and so deeply grateful that so many folks participated in this challenge after Vocal ran with my comment on the ideas thread; cheers, friends! :)
Congratulations to all the winners 🏆👏✨
Congratulations, all!!
Congratulations, everyone! Well done! 💫. Thank you so much, Vocal! 💞🙏🏽✨
Congratulations everyone!!!
Congratulations!!!! So well deserved! That last line really did “stick the landing” a perfect 10🙌🙌🙌🙌
Well done, folks!