Stories of TomorrowWriting Challenge

SUBMIT BY MARCH 1, 2025

VocaTales is here to help the next generation of writers elevate their craft. We’re awarding cash prizes and publishing opportunities to 12 forward-thinking storytellers – and you could be one of them!

Learn More
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Craft The Future of Writing

The stories of tomorrow don’t need to include robots or warp drives (though they certainly can!). Any story built with VocaTales is a story of the future, and any of our users can write one!
Graphic depicting VocaTales' drag-and-drop blocks feature
The Challenge

The challenge is simple – use VocaTales storybuilding tools to craft a piece of writing that captivates readers with your creative voice. 3 winners will be selected from each of 4 submission categories, and the top story from each will be targeted for publishing in 2025!

Submission Categories

- Short Fiction
- Memoir
- Essay
- General (anything goes!)

Judging Criteria

The top 3 stories from each category will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. High quality writing and storytelling
2. Effective use of VocaTales boards and storycraft features

Graphic displaying the VocaTales drilldown feature

How Do I Submit?

Opt in to the challenge here: [LINK] and we’ll
send you the details!

What are the prizes?

The 3 winning stories from each category will split the prize fund as follows, and the top story in each category will be on the fast track to publication (on VocaTales and beyond!) – once your story is fully polished, we’ll do our best to locate suitable publishers, connect you with editors/agents, and help you submit for publishing as appropriate.
12 Total Winners
With 4 submission categories and 3 winners in each, there’s plenty of opportunity for any type of writer to make their mark – all backgrounds, styles, and genres are welcome!
1st Place

$250

2nd Place

$150

3rd Place

$50

Voca, the VocaTales mascot, holding a computer and looking to the right

Even if you aren’t one of the winners, don’t fret – we believe in each and every one of our users, and every story submitted will be published on VocaTales site (if you want it to be!) and considered for early monetization eligibility once we’ve built our marketplace infrastructure.

Challenge Rules

  • Any story qualifies – fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry etc. – any and all genres are welcome.
  • Stories can be any length, as long as they use VocaTales storyboard features effectively (though shorter pieces will be easier to complete within the challenge period – go for quality over quantity!).
  • Stories should be crafted on VocaTales. Works-in-progress are allowed only if they aren’t already complete (meaning substantive amounts of writing and revision are still required) and make effective use of VT boards/features.
  • Stories should be 100% human crafted – don’t using AI to generate any text/important elements of your story.
  • You can submit as many stories as you’d like, but only one story per writer is eligible to win – again, focus on quality over quantity!
  • Challenge ends on March 1st, 2025 – submit your story any time on/before then! Opt-in HERE[hyperlink] for details.

    • This challenge is open to legal residents of the United States who are physically located within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry. Participants must meet any additional requirements outlined in these rules and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Entries from individuals residing outside of the United States or submissions from entities such as businesses or organizations are not eligible and will not be considered.