#276 Unlikely Encounters with Narratively

This week’s creative nonfiction contest, "Unlikely Encounters," is hosted by our friends over at Narratively. In addition to receiving the usual Prompts top prize of $250, the winner of this takeover will also be given four special bonus prizes from Narratively! We'll let them take it from here…

Hi there, Reedsy community! We’re Narratively, the storytelling platform that champions independent writers and memoirists by showcasing the most authentic, unexpected, and overlooked true stories. We’re thrilled to team up with Reedsy for this week’s prompts, which we hope will inspire you to submit fascinating narrative nonfiction that only you can share!

We like true tales that surprise and delight us, and that are full of dramatic, active scenes with lots of colorful moments. We encourage you to check out some of our best work, from our co-founder’s all-time favorite Narratively memoirs to a few of the top reported features we’ve ever worked on.

Each of our prompts for this week is centered on a theme that’s close to our editorial hearts: Unlikely Encounters.

The first-place winner will get a free annual subscription to Narratively; a physical copy of Creative Nonfiction: The Final Issue from our partners at Creative Nonfiction magazine; a free seat to a one-time Narratively Academy writing seminar; and free entry to our 2024 Memoir Prize. Meanwhile, the second- and third-place winners will be given free annual subscriptions to Narratively.

Finally, in celebration of this collaboration, we’re excited to offer the Reedsy community an exclusive 50% discount on an annual Narratively subscription, which we know you’ll love! Click here to claim the discount, and good luck with this week’s creative nonfiction contest!

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyEncounters when sharing your writing (and potentially be featured on our social accounts)!

Special Update: The Results

Narratively's top three picks for this week were: 1) "They haven’t even won my heart and mind" 2) "Eureka" and 3) "Another Origami Nothing"

Here's what they had to say about the winning piece: "Making your life known and understood by others takes work. Here, the author’s ability to take the reader with him through his stints as a peacekeeping soldier is remarkable. His clear and incredibly powerful writing effectively captures the many contradictions he felt, and the stress he endured, having chosen the path he did. This creates a compelling and poignant narrative that carries the reader through to the very end."

Congratulations to contest winner Maxwell Brooks and the runners-up, Carina Caccia and Colin Hanner!