2020 Year in Review 🎉

2020 has demanded change.

We know change doesn’t come easily, quickly or expectedly, but it has been sparked on Vocal—because of you.

2020 Milestones 🏆

Your stories and support empower and inspire each other, and power diverse and global communities.

We believe in rewarding creativity, and that diverse creators tell diverse stories. We’re thrilled you do, too. Here’s how you supported your fellow creators this year.

➕ Over 10,000 Vocal+ subscribers

⏰ 4:55 average time reading stories

⌛ 49,000 hours spent reading stories

👥 Over 275,000 new creators

💸 $400,000 sent to support creators

🥇 $195,000 sent to Challenge winners

❤️ 60,000 likes on creator's stories

Inspiring Stories from Inspiring Creators 📝

In 2020, you published stories that helped...

Bring people together

The Rise of Digital Sisterhood

Isabelle Emma

Spread positivity

Celebrate Your Body with These 3 Sources

Ashley Nestler, MSW

Inspire through photography

1st place in the Outdoor Shots Challenge

Getting Lost in the Alpine

Zach Doehler

Appreciate essential workers

2nd place in the Everyday Heroes Challenge

Real Heroes Deserve a Real Act of Gratitude

Jay Cordero

Highlight activists

3rd place in the Beyond the Vote Challenge

Advocate For The Innocent

Joy Johane

Support local businesses

2nd place in the Pay It Forward Challenge

Supporting Refugees Through Specialty Coffee

Lauren West

Challenges for Cause 🥇

Together, we gave back through storytelling

Because you amplified your voices, Vocal has brought awareness and donated over $20,000 to causes that will continue to lead us toward a better future.

Food for the Soul Challenge

Creators shared their favorite feel-good recipes for dishes that not only nourish our body and soul, but overcome our minds with childhood nostalgia.

Raised $2,500 for The Okra Project

Voices for Change Challenge

Creators submitted experiences and resources in light of the international conversations sparked by the murders of Black men, women and so many others lost to racist violence.

Raised $2,500 for NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Beyond the Vote Challenge

Creators shared their stories on how we should dedicate time, money, or support to take things into our own hands and make the country a better place, while we wait for our leaders to catch up.

Raised $5,000 for Spread the Vote

Speak Up Challenge

Creators submitted their stories to world leaders about what needs to happen to save the environment.

Raised $4,000 for NRDC and Environmental Defense Fund

Everyday Heroes Challenge

Creators wrote an open letter of appreciation to essential workers who are making it possible for us to safely stay home when staying home isn’t an option for them.

Raised $4,000 for Crisis Aid International

Pay It Forward Challenge

Creators showed their support to the entrepreneurs, makers, restaurateurs, and small business owners that have always been there for us.

Raised $2,500 for Rosemarine Textiles, a zero-waste textile studio

Challenges Support Creators 💰

“Challenges have saved my life through lockdown. When this pandemic first started I entered the Behind the Beat Challenge and ended up winning third place, and this literally allowed me to pay my rent and eat that month.”

Billie Gold

We partnered brands and creators to create stories, not ads.

We had the chance to work with amazing brands we share values with, and gave our creators an opportunity to partner with them, too.

Visit Vocal for Brands

How to Keep Your Home Clean Without Harsh Chemicals

10 Tools to Get Excited About Getting Healthy

Pay It Forward Challenge

How I Found My Perfect “Goldilocks” Mattress

We joined Stripe Climate and pledged to contribute a portion of revenue to making the planet a cleaner place by helping scale emerging carbon removal technologies.

Learn more

Trust & Safety 🦺

We moderated every story.

Our team of moderators reviewed every story submitted to Vocal to protect the community against bad actors and nefarious content.

Learn more about moderation

Average 3.5 hours from submission to publish

Over 72,000,000 words moderated

1,200 stories rejected for inappropriate content

750 stories rejected for hate speech

120,000 human moderated stories

2020 has demanded change.

Thank you for your voices, initiatives, and passion behind each of your stories.