The Rules

What

The Unsealed wants you to write a letter to the world about a time you faced a challenge and persevered. Tell us how you did it and let us know the lesson we can all learn from your story!

Who

You must be over 18 and a member of The Unsealed Community. You can sign up for The Unsealed Here

_{*no relatives or employees on The Unsealed are permitted to enter}

When

All Entries must be in by midnight on July 1, 2021 Eastern Time

Our top ten finalists will be chosen by our judges and be announced August 2nd

Our winner will be announced August 9th

Letter Requirements

• Entries must be in English
• They must be typed and e-mailed to contests@theunsealed.com
• They must be true story about your life
• The letter can’t mention anyone’s name except yourself (Example: you can call someone a friend, a neighbor, a teammate or a family member but you can’t call them by their name, John Smith)
• The letter must be original writing from the person submitting the letter
• The letter must not have been published anywhere else
• The letter can’t can’t be defamatory toward another person
• The letter must be 500- 800 words
• Only one entry per person
• Include a headline for your letter and a photo that goes with your story

Rights

You will own the rights to your entry but by entering the contest you will give us permission/limited license to publish the letter and any pictures you provide on The Unsealed. You will also allow us to promote your entry on social media using your letter and the provided picture.

How it will be judged

Members of the media will judge the contest. They will narrow it down to a top ten. We will post the top ten. Whoever gets the most hits in a seven day period (Starts midnight on August 2nd to midnight on August 9th) will receive a bonus prize of $100. The Grand Prize of $500 will be given to the overall winner, which will be chosen by the judges.

Our judges will be members of the media including but not limited to Willard Ogan (Managing Editor at the Black News Channel), Tim Graham (writer at The Athletic), Branson Wright (journalist/filmmaker), Mo Brooks ( nba.com writer), Gab Kreuz (sportscaster), Ron Insana (CNBC Contributor) and Willie Parker (Assignment manager at Stadium/Marquee Sports Network).

What the letters will be judged on

• Organization that is logical and effective, is the letter easy to read and understand?
• Creativity/originality, is there anything that makes this letter unique?
• Message/insight – does the letter offer a thoughtful message?
• Impact/Inspirational – is the story powerful and inspirational?
• Accurately addresses the topic – does this letter share a message of resilience?

If you do not make the top ten but still would like your story posted, as a member of The Unsealed, we can post your entry in our community voices section. However, we may edit the story for grammar and clarity and to ensure it’s consistent with our mission of providing an inspirational message. The post won’t be eligible for prize money.

Good Luck!