
Holiday Hijinks
Write a non-fiction story about a holiday gathering gone wrong.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 17, 2022
Submissions closed
Nov 23, 2022 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 16, 2022
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $1,000
- Second Place:
- $250
- 10 Runners-Up:
- $25
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Nov 17, 2022
Submissions closed
Nov 23, 2022 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Dec 16, 2022
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a non-fiction story about a holiday gathering gone wrong.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- Between 600-3,000 words
- Non-fiction
As we kick off the holiday season, we would like you to write a story about an experience that made your holiday gathering memorable — for the wrong reasons.
Was there an unexpected dinner guest? Bawdy office holiday party debauchery? We promise not to tell your family or friends.
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $1,000
- Second Place: $250
- 10 Runners-Up: $25
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it should be between 600 and 3,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until November 22, at 11:59 PM ET will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Holiday Hijinks Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://dealopportunity.life/vocal-plus.%3C/p%3E%3Cp class="css-1923z11-Text">To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.
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