The Rules

What

Write a letter or poem about a quote or motto that inspires you. Include a personal story showing how this quote has influenced your life and impacted your journey. Your reflections can provide clarity for yourself and inspiration for others.

Who

You must be over 18 and a member of The Unsealed Community. You must remain a member of The Unsealed throughout the contest to remain eligible. 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 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, October 1st

Rhose moving on to round two will be notified by Monday December 2nd

Voting will take place from December 2nd to midnight on January 3rd at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Winners will be announced January 6th

Letter Requirements

• Entries must be in English
• The letter/poem most be entered on theunsealed.com
• They letter/poem be true story about your life
• The letter/poem 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/poem must be original writing from the person submitting the letter
• The letter/poem must not have been published anywhere else
• The letter/poem can’t can’t be defamatory toward another person or say anything negative about an identifiable person
• The letter/poem must be less than 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 and The Unsealed will judge the contest. Below is a sample of some of the people who have judged our contests in the past. 

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?

Good Luck!