- Status
- Open for entries
- Prize
- $500 first prize, $150 for two runners-up, and publication for all three
- Deadline
- November 16, 2026
- Length
- 800–2,000 words
- Entry fee
- Free
The brief
Everyone has been given advice they did not take. Sometimes ignoring it was the best decision they made; sometimes it was a lesson. Write a true, first-person essay about one piece of advice you ignored, what happened next, and what you would tell someone facing the same choice today.
What the judges look for
- A specific moment, not a general reflection
- Honesty about the outcome, good or bad
- A takeaway a reader can use
- Clean, readable prose
Rules
- 800 to 2,000 words, original and unpublished, written by you.
- One entry per person. Free to enter.
- AI tools may be used for spelling and grammar only; the writing must be yours.
- Winners keep copyright and grant ArticleReserve the right to publish their entry with their byline and bio.
- Winners are announced on this page and in the Reserve Letter within 30 days of the deadline.