The Rules

What

Write a letter or poem to the world about one way you feel misunderstood

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 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Friday, March 21st, 2025

Those moving on to round two will be notified May 22nd, 2025

Voting will occur from May 23rd to 11:59 PM ET on June 23rd, 2025

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Letter Requirements

• Entries must be in English
• The letter/poem must be entered on theunsealed.com
• The letter/poem must be a 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 an original writing by the person submitting the letter
• The letter/poem can’t be published anywhere else
• The letter/poem 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 you own 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?

Good Luck!