I have to say that 'school essay assignment' is what I always feel on seeing a prompt. I think there are ways of doing it that don't feel like the editor is setting the class a homework task, a more general 'it would be really interesting this month to hear stories about x, given that it's the anniversary of y', and leaving it up to writers to participate fully or partly, and from any direction.

But I'm not a fan of prompts. Or competitions. I've tried to convince myself, but failed. Sometimes I may write stuff that is prompt-adjacent, just because I am also thinking of the same seasonal topics. My best ever Christmas present. What I did in the holidays. I just can't help coming back to that slightly mocking classroom vibe. They wind me up.