A System That Isn’t Working
Write about a system, whether social, economic, cultural, technological, or otherwise, that feels broken or misaligned.
Prizes
- 5 Winners:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
- 10 Honorable Mentions:
- $5
Status
ClosedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 27, 2026
Submissions closed
Feb 28, 2026 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Mar 11, 2026
Prizes
- 5 Winners:
- $200
- 15 Runners-up:
- $15
- 10 Honorable Mentions:
- $5
Status
ClosedTimeline
Submissions opened
Jan 27, 2026
Submissions closed
Feb 28, 2026 4:59 AM CUT
Results
Mar 11, 2026
About this challenge
The Prompt
Write about a system, whether social, economic, cultural, technological, or otherwise, that feels broken or misaligned.
Systems promise order. They organize behavior, distribute power, and offer the comfort of predictability. When they fail, the failure is often quiet at first, experienced as friction rather than collapse.
This challenge asks you to focus on that misalignment. The system may be large or small, public or intimate. What matters is how it operates and who is shaped, limited, or overlooked by its design. You do not need to diagnose the problem or propose a fix. Attention is enough.
In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:
- Between 600 and 3,000 words.
- Submitted to the Humans community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
- Submitted before February 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
- Your work must be original and unpublished.
The Prizes
- 5 Winners: $200 each
- 15 Runners-up: $15 each
- 10 Honorable Mentions: $5 each
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 3,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until February 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The A System That Isn’t Working Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://survey-promotion.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, you must be over the age of 13 and reside 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 a Stripe account created and connected to receive prizes. Entrants located outside of these countries will not be eligible to win.
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Challenge resources
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Blending genres isn’t about stacking elements side by side. It’s about what happens when two sets of expectations refuse to cooperate. The strongest entries in the Mismatch Challenge understood that tension and leaned into it. Rather than smoothing the edges, these stories let their chosen genres complicate one another, creating friction that carried through voice, structure, and consequence.
By Vocal Curation Team28 days ago in Resources
