![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/c_fill,f_jpg,g_auto,h_670,q_auto,w_670/60c7c9328d2527001f049d98.jpg)
If This, Then That
Share your formula for the perfect movie or TV recommendation.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $10,000
- Second place:
- $2,500
- Third place:
- $1,000
Plus, five runner-ups will receive one year of Vocal+ free.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Feb 23, 2021
Submissions closed
Mar 31, 2021 5:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 09, 2021
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $10,000
- Second place:
- $2,500
- Third place:
- $1,000
Plus, five runner-ups will receive one year of Vocal+ free.
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Feb 23, 2021
Submissions closed
Mar 31, 2021 5:59 AM CUT
Results
Apr 09, 2021
About this challenge
If you're anything like us, you base your own entertainment choices on recommendations from people you trust. Sometimes that means turning to an outlet like our partner Decider for those recommendations, but for this Challenge, we're hoping you'll help out one another.
Share the perfect formula to help viewers like you decide what to watch next by taking a show or movie that most people know and love, and making your recommendations for fellow fans from there. If your favorite movie is Goodfellas, then the show you should check out is definitely Peaky Blinders. If you can't get enough of Pride and Prejudice, then Bridgerton is the show for you. If you love the original Dune, add Snowpiercer to your watch list. Enter the If This, Then That Challenge by sharing your own recommendations based on the shows and movies you love, and give guidance to help others discover their new favorites.
Judges
Lea Palmieri is a host, writer, producer, and the current Director of Creative Strategy at Decider, and she sure does love a good story — especially a good love story.
Glenn Kenny is an American film critic and journalist. He is a regular contributor for Decider, as well as the author of "Made Men: The Story of 'Goodfellas'."
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 March 30, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The If This, Then That Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.
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 countries will not be eligible to win.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Challenge resources
Summer Solstice Challenge Winners
‘Safety Net’, by Meredith Harmon, begins in a confiding tone. ‘What town?’ the tale asks. ‘We're an enclave. We're farmers. We till the soil like our forefathers, and our children's children's children will till it, till the end of time.’ There is a folkloric sensibility here, suited to the prompt, but also something contemporary and practical. This winning story of a community trying to protect and preserve itself has echoes of Shirley Jackson’s famous tale ‘The Lottery’, Meredith is a strong Vocal Creator with 225 stories to her name; and this is her second first place win of a challenge; huge congratulations.
By Vocal Curation Team24 days ago in Resources
Let's Talk About AI and Vocal Challenges
We might as well cut to the chase. Yes, we run every challenge entry through our AI detector; if we find an entry has been generated, it’s disqualified. As Justin Maury, Founder/CEO of Vocal has written, we use these detection systems because we know our readers enjoy authentic content; we also ask you to disclose when you’ve posted on the platform using AI assistance. But a different issue comes into play when we’re thinking about Challenges, and we believe it’s an important one.
By Vocal Curation Team27 days ago in Resources
Dialogue Poetry Challenge Winners
Hannah Moore is a first-time grand prize winner with her dialogue poem, On Receipt of Bad News. This was a poem that genuinely engaged both with the exchange of our prompt, but also focussed on the way poetic rhythms of language could support the writer's conceit. It felt very truthful, too, the way one speaker wishes to ignore the news and focus on practicalities; there was a quiet heartbreak, here. Well done.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout a month ago in Resources