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The Winner and Runner-ups are listed HERE.
WHO
Anyone in the world, of any age or background, may participate (SCP Membership not required). Among members of the Society of Classical Poets, everyone including Advisory Board members may participate, if not involved in judging the contest. The winner, if not a U.S. resident, must have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks, in order to receive prize money.
IMPORTANT: By submitting haiku to this contest, the contestant declares that the poems are his or her own work, and that they were written after July 2023. Please submit using your first and last name, as we may find it difficult to distinguish between contestants who have similar first names.
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PRIZE
$100
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JUDGES
J. Thomas Rimer, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Theatre, and Art at the University of Pittsburgh; former chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress.
Margaret Coats, Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University; retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others.
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WHEN
Now until September 15, 2024, 6 pm EST (New York time). Results to be announced September 29, 2024.
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WHERE
Post your entries in the Comments below.
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WHAT
Each competitor may submit up to three haiku of traditional form: three lines per poem with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and 5 in the third. Entrants are recommended to conform to other traditional haiku requirements outlined HERE.
If you want coaching on haiku features, please read the examples and explanation before submitting your entries. Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment. This is permitted until the competition closes, but do take reasonable care to complete work to your satisfaction before you enter it. Please do not use the Comment area as your scratch pad. That is discourteous to other competitors, to interested readers, and to the judge and will disqualify you.
Entries that do not meet basic traditional haiku requirements may be deleted. Anyone who submits more than three entries will have ALL his or her entries disqualified, unless excess entries are clearly withdrawn by a later Comment.
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PAST WINNERS
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Meadow daises bow.
Eagles soar, clouds pause, taps play.
Rain mingles with tears.
into the thickness
of legerdemain snowdrifts
red scarves of robins
who was there again
signing in yellow colours
it’s the snow bunting
He lived by Walden.
So immersed had he become:
Seasons were his clock.
From zinnia’s pink
to petunia’s purple –
the chameleon
Bolting roller skates
scare the road-perched crows away –
summer vacation
Working overtime;
prodigious black clouds sew up
the last silver rift
Dear Judges,
My second haiku got swapped with another accidentally. Therefore, I am making a fresh submission of the batch. Kindly pardon my mistake and please accept this new submission. Thank you so much.
From zinnia’s pink
to petunia’s purple –
the chameleon
While mother’s garden
nears vernal blue and yellow,
she nears wintry grey
Working overtime;
prodigious black clouds sew up
the last silver rift
(Haiku contest entries):
Cityscape A.M.
Colors bring the day
Pink and periwinkle play–
All below stays gray
Centenary-ing
Just one hundred four
Garden, girlfriends, gourmet store
Why not live some more?
A Cluster of Birds
A cluster of birds
chirping in the tallest tree
looked very lovely
Winter sun bathes me
through icy-cold window panes
The Comfort of Home
Autumn leaves decay
yet I only stare in awe
at their amber leaves
Ravaging wildfires
paint the sky red– all will see
the death we must face
her tight city yard
just one daisy in the crack
of the old sidewalk
the blind girl’s dinner
the scent of food in the scent
of lilac from him
the second first date
the last golden leaf sparkles
in her silver hair
I appreciate the opportunities to learn from the experienced poets on this website, as well as to participate in this contest. Thank you for extending the invitation to beginners like me.
Respectfully submitted,
Chelsea Bushman
Here, out on a limb
Fledgling, trembling, leaps then soars.
Courage, then, my heart.
Winter’s threat’ning gale
Drives perilous waves to shore…
Foes attack my land.
Fragrant, freshened air
Springtime’s efflorescent flair…
Precious newborn life.
bullet pierced the mind
The dirt is soft on my skin
Here, the lilies sprout
I lose a fair child
in dense dark woods and I weep
for the child was me
Very glad to see your haiku! Please enter the competition with your full name. If you forgot, just place your full name at the REPLY box after your poems. Thanks!
birds on migration
reaching my arms up to them
I become all flame
with each falling leaf
dead father’s sigh of relief
free now of raking
river still flowing
heron soaring above it
some things never change
newly leafed forest
the magnificent bareness
of a dying tree
contrails intersect
just over the horizon
where winter deepens
the faded sunrise
in our family photo
just dust in Mom’s eyes
funeral bouquet
putting a dandelion
between the roses
I
equanimity
petal by petal she drops
the rose letting go
II
eugenia sprouts
waiting for the wars to end
day by day older
III
endless monsoon rains
what else could I do but pray
for the swept aways
Dewdrops spark the blades;
humid morning sparkling.
Rich in the moment.
Waves go in and out,
the great cosmic breath of life.
Welcome this moment.
Haiku gods hold court,
settling syllabic spats.
“Twas six!” “No, seven!”
Rain of September,
emanating petrichor
cat seeking shelter
Mother and daughter
same tale, over and over…
A bamboo hairbrush
Eyes brimming with tears –
reverberating thunder…
At last, looking up
the monsoon raindrops
held on a wild grass cobweb-
diamonds on hammock
late summer heat-
walking in the pine forest
butterfly fans me
somnambulism-
I turn on my new laptop
and shut it down
Toddler in the park –
a snowflake on the eyelash
another in the palm
The apple blossoms
recalling of grandparents –
I write a haiku
the evening concert –
big waves breaking on the shore
full of broken stones
September Sunset:
With a sinking gleam,
Summer’s sun admits it’s done,
Now a fading dream.
Desert:
Only sand and dread.
Sunset looms in bloody red.
Buzzards overhead.
November:
The leaves are falling,
Bloody red, then flat and dead.
The dark is calling.
One fallen leaf alone
hanging on propeller drone
bird view happiness
Ladybug, pink flower
wiped by sudden monsoon
softly veiled lady
Crystalline raindrop
gently drifting from beyond
transient wonder
Black snake slithers
up dark tree bark, seeking bird
eggs, ignoring me.
Cricket’s concert says
it’s cold. I open windows,
warm up to its song.
The orchid smiles
as rain mists its face. No tears
in today’s shower.
Dry dust invading,
Omni ant tracks everywhere
Nature’s small footprints
Needles tremble, sing,
Echoes of ancient songs past
Lost in autumn’s breath
Burls cradle secrets—
Sprouted growth from knobby stumps,
Knots of life untapped
Serenading leaves
Brooklet sings a lullaby
Summers’s choir whispers
Consuming hunger
Obliteration, struggle
Butterfly’s freedom!
Cherished blossoms fall
Delicate sanctuary
Spring nestled above
I am an absolute novice of haiku poetry, or an kind of poetry. I only began studying it more intently within the past few days. I don’t know if it was Basho’s intent when he wrote The Old Pond, but I saw/experienced a deeper understanding in the plain and simple capture of the moment. Very Zen.
I am Native Hawaiian, and we use a similar principle in our poetry, story-telling and mele (songs) called kaona. I don’t know if my work conforms to traditional haikus since I employ kaona, but it has been a fun and enlightening exercise.
Thank you for this opportunity to share.
Hard prairie rainfall
Golden rays pierce the black sky
Please cue the songbirds
Bright red maple morn
The Crimson King is aging
Deciduous chum
Super blue blood moon
All the heavenly glory
See what else is on
#1
“Poppies delight me…”
your innocence vanishes
within your blushing
#2
where is the cricket
which used to sing “Summertime”
all along the night?
#3
here comes my evening…
no worry, for the fireflies
lighten the footpath