
Quarantine Playlist
Share a playlist of all the music you've been listening to in lockdown.
Prizes
- Grand prize:
- $500
- Second place:
- $250
- Third place:
- $100
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 24, 2020
Submissions closed
May 01, 2020 4:59 AM CUT
Results
May 06, 2020
Prizes
- Grand prize:
- $500
- Second place:
- $250
- Third place:
- $100
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Apr 24, 2020
Submissions closed
May 01, 2020 4:59 AM CUT
Results
May 06, 2020
About this challenge
Welcome to the very first Weekly Challenge! In an effort to connect with others in a time when doing so isn't always an option, we're letting music do what it does best: bring people together. We want to hear what you've been listening to during this time—whether it's a series of songs that remind you of home, songs you've found that help you stay focused while you WFH, or an album that makes you want to dance, there's always something you can play to make you feel a certain way. Enter the Quarantine Playlist Challenge by sharing your ideal isolation playlist. Embed it in a Vocal story and tell us more about your current soundtrack— have you rediscovered songs you'd forgotten about? Or are there any new songs that have quickly become your favorites? Whatever it is, we want to hear it! You've got one week to enter... GO!
Tips
We're looking for creators to share what they've been listening to during quarantine and how these songs have helped them cope. Here are some things to note:
For the Quarantine Playlist Challenge, entries must include a playlist embedded within your story. Entries that do not include a playlist as an embed will not be eligible to win. Here's what it should look like (featuring our most recent To the Beat playlist):
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until April 30, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official rules for the Challenge can be found here.
To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place 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 35 countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
What the Myth Gets Wrong
Write a story set in a world where a well-known myth exists that focuses on a detail the myth simplifies, ignores, or distorts.
$200 Grand Prize25 hours leftSomething Is Beginning, I Think
Write a story that opens at the edge of a beginning that feels uncertain, partial, or reluctant and avoid resolution.
$200 Grand Prize8 days leftSay It Plainly
Write a poem that states its central concern directly without metaphor, indirection, or symbolic substitution.
$200 Grand Prize15 days leftThe Rule Everyone Knows
Write a story centered on an unspoken rule that everyone in the story understands and follows, allowing the rule to emerge through behavior.
$200 Grand Prize20 days left
Challenge resources
A Transparent Look at Vocal Challenges and Top Stories
Almost three years ago, we shared a resource article that served as a place for people to suggest new challenge prompts. We thought it would be a good idea to refresh that thread, and take the opportunity to answer a few common questions about top stories, how challenges are judged and how submissions are reviewed.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout 11 hours ago in Resources
A System That Isn’t Working Challenge Winners
Systems promise order. They organize behavior, distribute opportunity, and suggest that if everyone follows the rules, things will work. The entries in A System That Isn’t Working look closely at what happens when that promise begins to slip.
By Vocal Curation Teama day ago in Resources



