The Ritual of Winter Challenge Winners
A behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Vocal Curation Team’s top picks from The Ritual of Winter.
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.
🏆 Winners
First Snow Pancakes by Aubrey Rebecca
Aubrey Rebecca's piece lands hard because every detail feels lived-in and unforced, from the snow clinging to the measuring cup to the Bisquick box still shoved in the pantry. There is no reaching for emotion; the ritual and memory speak for themselves.
The Plunge by R.S. Sillanpaa
R.S. Sillanpaa writes about ice swimming with a clear, steady honesty that mirrors the ritual itself. The cold is never romanticized or exaggerated, each plunge is framed as a deliberate act of presence, discipline, and self-trust.
Let Go and Release by Andrea Corwin
Andrea Corwin's essay stands out for the way everyday details, like the debate over paper size and the blue mug overflowing with pens, ground the ritual in real life. There’s comfort in how this piece lets the burning bowl be exactly what it is, no more and no less.
The Ritual of Bones by S. A. Crawford
S. A. Crawford roots this winter ritual in bones, kitchens, and the slow accumulation of what doesn’t disappear. The voice balances dark humor with grief, letting loss surface through routine rather than sentiment.
A Winter Devotional by A. J. Schoenfeld
A. J. Schoenfeld centers the ritual in the simple act of watching the first snowfall, wrapped in warmth and quiet. The focus stays on what’s seen and felt, allowing memory to surface naturally. It ends on a gentle pause rather than resolution, which suits the moment perfectly.
🎖️ Runners-up
- Outlasting Winter: Counting Days Until the Light Returns by Imola Tóth
- Winter's Breath by Andrew Perry
- The Holiday It Was by jl wood
- Cold Air, Warm Fire, Repeat by Shannon Hilson
- Is Krampus Back? by Iris Obscura
- Humbug by Marie Wilson
- I Am The Gift by Sara Wilson
- Prague Bathtub by Emily Ryan
- Virtual Hearth Return by Simone Rocca
- Winter Medicine by Nicky Frankly
- The Summoning of the Tree Spirit by Hannah Moore
- Winterborn(e) by Raistlin Allen
- Frozen in Silence by Cory Wright-Maley
- No Place Like Gnome by Judey Kalchik
- Island Girl Coping Mechanism For When It’s Too Damn Winter by The Dani Writer
🏅 Honorable Mentions
- Lying to Children by Jessica McGlaughlin
- Dead Traditions by Nikki Torino Wagner
- Traditions by Tanya Lei
- The Waiting Game by Lamar Wiggins
- Paper and Walnut. by River and Celia in Underland
- The Sound of Winter by MARY PECHACEK HAAS
- Happy to be Fooled by Tennessee Garbage
- Winter Was Storytime Growing Up As A Child by Denise E Lindquist
- Snow Days in the Cemetery by Jesse Lee
- Cracker Barrel Christmas by Danielle Eckhart
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By Vocal Curation Team26 days ago in Resources
Comments (18)
What I keep coming back to in this roundup is that line about the pieces not “reaching for emotion,” especially in First Snow Pancakes and The Plunge — there’s something really affecting about letting routine carry the weight instead. It made me think about how winter rituals only start to mean something after you’ve repeated them enough times to stop performing them for yourself. Reading this list felt less like a winners announcement and more like a quiet map of how different people survive the season — I’m curious, was there a submission that surprised the curation team in how subtle it ended up being?
Congrats everyone!
The editorial notes are a joy to read on their own. Each summary makes the ritual feel tangible without overexplaining it, which mirrors the strengths you’re highlighting in the work.
Congrats to all the winners!
Congratulations everyone! x
Thank you so much, Vocal. I am deeply honored to have my work recognized and be included with so many other phenomenal writers. I finally got to enjoy the first, long overdue, snowfall of the season yesterday. I hoped while I watched it fall it was a sign my story about the first snowfall would place. I was still shocked when I saw it hadn't just placed, it had won. Congratulations to everyone else who placed. I'm eager to dive in and read each of these stories!
Congratulations you guys! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I am honored and grateful for this recognition!😊 Thank you!! Congratulations to everyone and to all those who entered.
Interested to read these this weekend.
Congrats all and thank you Vocal 💗
Congrats to everyone! Honored to be a runner up 🥹
Congratulations everyone
I'm looking forward to reading these and I'm grateful to be a Runner-up! Congrats to all!
Congratulations to all of the winners❣
Grats, all!
Not me sneaking a peek at the winners while I'm at work and bursting into tears to see that The Gnome has received recognition after hiding in my trees for 45 years. The wave of my gratitude caught me off guard; thank you very much.
Congratulations, everyone! I haven't experienced enough winter to ritualize it--I see snow about twice per decade. Pretty sure I wasn't made for winter; it's the worst time to dance barefoot.