Keep It 100 Challenge Winners

Almost exactly one year after my "return" (arrival) to Vocal I've been able to celebrate publishing one hundred stories with the hosting of the Keep It 100 Unofficial Challenge! And what a wonderful experience it has been! I'm so grateful to everyone who submitted an entry, to Vocal for making this event possible, to my friends who volunteered to serve as the judging panel, and my husband who organized the excel data!

The challenge required writers to include the phrase "one hundred" or a close variation within a 75-125 word poem or microfiction. There were 22 poems and 13 micros submitted.

Entries were assessed on the following criteria:

• Originality & Creativity
• Organization & Clarity
• Language Use & Style
• Overall Impression

I knew going into this endeavor that I would need some outside help. Being objective when it comes to judging writing is just not something I can do. Thankfully I had some wonderful people in my life step up to the plate and evaluate all of the entries. I'm really glad they were willing to provide their input and feedback because as I suspected some entries that maybe didn't resonate as strongly with me were stand outs for some of the panelists.

Before delivering the results I would like to highlight each entry and share some of the strengths that each piece had based on the panel's responses.

Poems - In Order of Submission:

One Hundred Tries by Sarah Parker - A relatable piece on the subject of heartbreak that flowed effortlessly in a conversational tone

Four Weeks by Laura Pruett - Captures a sense of grief with a powerful scene of attempting to resuscitate and effective use of number series to create impact

So far away... by Sam Harty - A very heartfelt poem with deeply personal particulars and aching vulnerability

I Wished Upon a Billion Stars by Cathy Holmes - Truly beautiful poem that both triggers tears and brings a smile to your face

More Than Enough by Kelli Sheckler-Amsden - Employs poetic devices in a memorable way while delivering a very sincere and heartfelt message

Conquering Words by Shaun Walters - Tackles the power of words spoken by a child through strong imagery that prompted laughter and tears

Buckaroo Borden by D. J. Reddall - A sonnet that was educational, biographical, clever, humorous, through-provoking and stylistically strong all at the same time

100 Days of Grief by Daphsam - Compelling portrait of grief rendered through striking personal details

Weighting it by Hundreds by Shirley Belk - A wonderful poetic progression from the less important distractions to gratitude for the things that matter most

Prize Winning Poem? by Rachel Deeming - A lyrical and comical take that had relatable lines and inspired some laughs (the judges were not only kind but sincerely complimentary)

One Hundred - The Acrostic by Donna Fox (HKB) - Cleverly composed acrostic that communicated a heartfelt and encouraging message

Bean Counter by Andrew C McDonald - A vibrantly colorful piece with whimsical rhyme that will activate your sweet tooth

The Hollow Gospel by River Joy & Celia in Underland - A raw stream of consciousness piece with striking and gutting phrasing

100 Ways to Make a Llama Dizzy by Paul Stewart - An authentic stream of consciousness poem with astute environmental commentary that wanders to an unexpected subject

never tire of those three words by Alexandria Stanwyck - A combination of resonating imagery and sentimentality about a powerful phrase

The List! by Angie the Archivist - Well-conceived poem that really stands out for its wit, clever composition, and originality

When They Let Them Fly by Dana Crandell - A powerful and gripping piece that is full of fervor while being refined in its form

In the Dark We Dream by Amanda Stark - A beautiful exploration of a nuanced attitude toward darkness that was refreshing and stylistically strong

100 lost moments by Tressa Rose - Deeply moving personal poem with impactful formatting choices that created a layered echo effect

The Gamble by Alyssa Nicole - Cleverly constructed analogy on the risk in relationships delivered in lyrical lines

Customer Service by Heather Zieffle - Takes the reader to a very emotional and relatable breaking point and then lands on a strong line of dialogue

Froggy by Mackenzie Davis - An intense and intricate poem that offers a compelling reflection on childhood memories and the significant people they feature (A November Top Story)

And while it was published too late to get submitted to the panel due to getting stuck in Vocal limbo, WOA also wrote a poem inspired by the challenge, so definitely check it out too!

Chasms in my palms by WOA - An artistic use of formatting, intruiging exploration of dialect, striking images, and evokes a deep pang of absence

Micros - In Order of Submission

Love is Blind by Laura Pruett - A tale that weaves desire and mystery seamlessly with a clever play on the title phrase

One Hundred Seconds by Mike Singleton 🌟 Mikeydred - A contemplative reflection on the passing of time and treasuring of life's beautiful moments

In Sickness and Health by Matthew Fromm - A dynamic piece with strong character building and a cleverly constructed shock factor ending (A November Top Story)

en avant by Pamela Williams - Really lovely micro anchored on a well chosen phrase that draws the reader in to a surreal and emotional scene

Melting Moments by Rachel Deeming - A beautiful micro that captures the joys that come with a long life and the recognition that time is limited

Searcher by Andrew C McDonald - An intensely gripping micro that packs an emotional punch with a vividly rendered scene (A November Top Story)

Eternal the Sentinel by Paul Stewart - Breathes new life into a star-crossed lovers trope while the main character gradually loses his

183 by Alexandria Stanwyck - Delivers relational and emotional impact with strong character development and clever building of suspense

Time Will Tell by Angie the Archivist - Builds a strong scene with particulars that link a place's physical deterioration to a relational one playing out within its confines

Abracadabra by Lamar Wiggins - A piece that weaves joy and heartache together with powerful scene building images and strong narrative voice (A November Top Story)

What goes up must come down by WOA - A powerful and deeply moving piece describing life lived in the midst of recurring gun violence

Turtle by Heather Zieffle - A micro that explores a natural wonder of wildlife while also extending it beyond the material boundaries (A November Top Story)

Hero of the day by Ema Salvi - Manages to capture a striking scene of action with tragic character who's day does not go according to plan

Mike Singleton also published a second microfiction inspired by the challenge, so please give it a read too!

I Gave 100% by Mike Singleton 🌟 Mikeydred - A dynamic portrait of hope and perseverance in spite of discouragement and naysayers

And now for the winners! All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were decided by a rank vote of the top scoring pieces in each category.

Poetry Winners:

1st Place: The List! by Angie the Archivist - Angie's witty and wonderful poem really struck a chord with the judges and placed in every panelist's top four!

2nd Place: Conquering Words by Shaun Walters - Shaun's heartfelt poem scored very high in all the evaluation criteria and left a huge impression on the panelists!

3rd Place: Froggy by Mackenzie Davis - Mackenzie's poem included layers of complexity that demanded to be read more than once to appreciate all the intricacies!

D.K.'s Spotlight Pick: I Wished Upon a Billion Stars by Cathy Holmes - I am a sucker for good form and lyrical lines. Cathy's poem had both and made me tear up at the heartache it captured so beautifully!

Microfiction Winners:

1st Place: 183 by Alexandria Stanwyck - Alexandria's micro really made an impact with the lighthearted suspense it built to an emotional climax!

2nd Place: Melting Moments by Rachel Deeming - Rachel's micro gave us a precious scene with a character that crept right into the panel's hearts through masterful storytelling!

3rd Place: In Sickness and Health by Matthew Fromm - Matthew's micro used a few words to tell a lot of story and left the panelists jaws on the floor with its final line!

D.K.'s Spotlight Pick: Eternal the Sentinel by Paul Stewart - My pick was based on the micro that lingered in my mind and made me want to reread it! There's a familiarity to it and yet it was so outstandingly original!

Congratulations to all the winners! And thank you again to everyone who participated in the challenge! You've honored me greatly with all your wonderful entries! I hope to host one again! Maybe at the 200 story milestone, but don't worry the prompt won't be to use the phrase "two hundred"!