Villanelle
Write a villanelle poem that adheres to the form's traditional rhyme scheme.
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 14, 2023
Submissions closed
Dec 29, 2023 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 11, 2024
Prizes
- Grand Prize:
- $500
- Second Place:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $20
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Dec 14, 2023
Submissions closed
Dec 29, 2023 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Jan 11, 2024
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write a villanelle poem that adheres to the traditional rhyme scheme: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.
A villanelle is a 19-line poetic form consisting of five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by a concluding quatrain (four-line stanza). The unique feature of a villanelle is its strict rhyme pattern, where the first and third lines of the opening tercet are alternately repeated as the final lines of the following tercets and then collectively appear as the last two lines of the poem. It follows this pattern: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. You can learn more about the form here.
Experiment with the repetition of lines to create a rhythmic and cohesive flow within the structure. The form's rhyming constraint offers a chance to explore creative storytelling while adhering to a set pattern. The interplay of repetition and variation constructs a poem that is both disciplined and expressive.
Feel free to choose a theme that resonates with you, whether it be nature, personal experiences, or abstract concepts. The goal is to appreciate the balance between structure, intensity, and artistic expression that the villanelle form inspires.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must:
The Prizes
- Grand Prize: $500
- Second Place: $200
- 15 Runners-Up: $20
Special shout-out to Mike Singleton - Mikeydred, Lauren Elizabeth, Sonia Heidi Unruh, Dane BH, and J.M. Powell for suggesting this challenge idea in Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.
How to enter
For your poem to be eligible, it should be submitted to the Poets Community, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until December 28, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Villanelle Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://todaysurvey.today/vocal-plus%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E.%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.
Open challenges
Challenges you can enter now for a chance to win.
Craft Over Catharsis
Write a story that prioritizes structure, technique, or form over emotional release.
$200 Grand Prize4 days leftInstructions for a Feeling
Write a poem that gives instructions for how to experience, create, or avoid a feeling.
$200 Grand Prize9 days leftRituals of Affection
Write a story about a recurring ritual tied to love, romance, or connection. Something about it is unusual, unsettling, or unexplained.
$200 Grand Prize11 days leftThe Unnecessary Line
Write a poem that includes one line that does not strictly belong and let the tension it creates remain unresolved.
$200 Grand Prize18 days leftA System That Isn’t Working
Write about a system, whether social, economic, cultural, technological, or otherwise, that feels broken or misaligned.
$200 Grand Prize25 days leftEveryone Is Acting Normally
Write a story in which something is clearly wrong but all characters behave as if everything is normal.
$200 Grand Prize32 days leftThe Haiku of Now
Write a haiku that captures a small, precise moment from the present without reflection or commentary.
$200 Grand Prize37 days leftWhat 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 Prize39 days 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 Prize46 days leftSay It Plainly
Write a poem that states its central concern directly without metaphor, indirection, or symbolic substitution.
$200 Grand Prize53 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 Prize58 days left
Challenge resources
Instructions Included Challenge Winners
For the Instructions Included challenge, we asked writers to tell a story through instructions and to trust the form to carry what could not be said outright. Across the top entries, that trust paid off in many different ways.
By Vocal Curation Team5 days ago in Resources
The Ritual of Winter Challenge Winners
Welcome to the Winners Announcement for The Ritual of Winter challenge. This prompt focused on winter rituals and the meaning that settles into them over time. The top pieces stay grounded in ordinary acts and repeated routines, letting winter shape the work through pace, attention, and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team24 days ago in Resources
