Welcome, writers, to Super Challenge 11! We’re excited to have you here – and we’re excited for our new two-round format. We hope this fits into your busy lives and that you enjoy a little added flexibility in the first round, our “longlist” round. You should have your group assignment email in your inbox already, so go down and grab your assignment… but don’t forget to check the hints and tips in the email!

Since this is the first round, we’ve got a special announcement to make: we’ve counted our cash, split it with our winners’ pool, and we’re excited to announce our prizes:

First place: $180

Second place: $130

Third place: $80

Now that you’ve got a little extra incentive to make it through Round One, let’s talk about the round.

This round we’ll be focusing on personal essays, so if you hate persuasive essays, this is your chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Personal essays are the mostly-true stories of your life. This round you’ll be writing within the framework of an assigned subject, so make sure that you center the subject, although the entire essay doesn’t have to be about the subject. That’s what we mean when we say “integral to your story or essay” — your story or essay wouldn’t function without it; you couldn’t just drop a different object or event in and have the same story. For example, if the subject were horses, you could write about your first horse, about how much you wanted a horse, about a plastic toy horse, or about your summer camp experience in the Rockies. What you shouldn’t do is write about a road trip your family took and casually mention that you drove past a horse in Nebraska along the way. That horse isn’t integral to your story: it could just as easily be a sheep without changing a thing about your road trip.

Now that that’s cleared up, let’s get to the topic assignments:

Group 1

A lost object

There are two critical words in this prompt: lost and object. We’re not trying to condescend to you, but we’re also not looking for found objects (the object should be missing for at least part of your story). Nor are we looking for lost animals, people, or concepts. So feel free to write your personal essay and include a lost book, lost ring, or lost shoe, but not a lost dog, lost kid, lost temper or lost opportunity. OK? (That is, the lost temper shouldn’t serve as reference to the prompt–it’s fine to be mad that you can’t find your socks.) As always, the prompt should be integral to your story, even if your story isn’t about the prompt.

Group 2

A growing plant

 When we say plant we’re looking for pretty much any multi-celled member of the vegetable kingdom, from a blade of grass to a baobab. And the plant doesn’t have to grow the entire time (I’ve killed enough plants to know they can grow and die kind of unexpectedly, including a cactus and a rosemary) but it should at least add a few inches, a new leaf or a sprig or two. You don’t have to make your story about trying to get a plant to grow, although you can if you want, but if it’s not, the plant should still be integral to the way you tell your story.

Group 3

A container that holds something other than what its label says

Did your mom keep sewing supplies in a cookie tin? Did you accidentally label all your kitchen supplies “books” in your last move? We’re looking for any container, no matter how large or small, that is labeled, but doesn’t contain what the label says. To stave off the inevitable question: yes, we mean instead of what the label says, not in addition to. Something about this container (or its contents!) should be integral to your work.

Wait, wait, there’s more!

Don’t post your story anywhere on the Internet until after our judges are done and you get your feedback! But if you want to talk up the competition or live-tweet your writing process, use the hashtag #YWsuper. Just remember not to include identifying details about which story is yours!

Your essays are due Sunday at 10pm US Eastern Time. Remember to check the rules for formatting, including all those fiddly details like title page, font, and filename. Don’t get disqualified on a technicality! We know it seems really useless at times, but all those rules have a purpose, from helping get your file where it needs to be to making sure you’re read anonymously and fairly.

Email your questions to superchallenge@yeahwrite.me—we will not be reviewing other email addresses or social media for your questions over the weekend and we want to make sure you get the answers you need, but that our judges don’t accidentally see who’s asking!

You’ll receive your feedback on Wednesday, February 6, and we’ll announce who’s moving on to the final round that day at noon US Eastern Time.

We hope you have as much fun with the prompts as we had picking them out. Good luck, and good writing!

About the author:

Rowan submitted exactly one piece of microfiction to YeahWrite before being consumed by the editorial darkside. She spent some time working hard as our Submissions Editor before becoming YeahWrite’s Managing Editor in 2016. She was a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2017 for her work on intersectional feminism, but she suggests you find and follow WOC instead. In real life she’s been at various times an attorney, aerialist, professional knitter, artist, graphic designer (yes, they’re different things), editor, secretary, tailor, and martial artist. It bothers her vaguely that the preceding list isn’t alphabetized, but the Oxford comma makes up for it. She lives in Portlandia with a menagerie which includes at least one other human. She tells lies at textwall and uncomfortable truths at CrossKnit.

rowan@yeahwrite.me