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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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shaking maracas
in the pale yellow moonlight
dancing with the stars
#1
in the spring dawn
an elderberry bush blooms
the smell of childhood
#2
the end of summer
I put a drop of the sea
under my skin
#3
heatwaves
harvest in the vineyard
ahead of time
I hear you call from
bright sky, young one, learning what
it means to be hawk.
***
Birdsong tiptoes through
thick gray fog and testifies
hope rises again.
***
This old tree whose roots
weave with mine in the deep earth
breathes enduring joy.
what remains from the
rain clouds deep in the forest:
mist and mushroom smells
heavy, humid sky—
the song of a soaring lark
barely stirs the air
a lone Roman snail
crosses the Way of St. James—
dripping summer rain
Dear Mr. Rimer and Dr. Coats,
Thank you for the opportunity to submit three haiku with seasonal words, kigo.
*****
01
silver at sunup
echoes by the sacred well—
a sweep of Peepul
02
a staccato gnaws
canisters in the courtyard . . .
tapioca snow
03
a cold spell white outs
canopy of conifers . . .
first flush Darjeeling
*****
01
All summer kigo: Peepul (Ficus religiosa)
02
All winter kigo: tapioca snow
03
All winter kigo: cold spell
[World Kigo Database]
*****
Thank you for your consideration. Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Monica Kakkar (she/her/hers)
Autumn breeze sweeps by—
a child races fallen leaves,
learning how to fly
Winter wind commands—
chimes ring out in crisp cadence,
frosted notes take flight
Winter snow falls soft—
a sly fox treads silent trails,
white world hides its tracks
The rains, finally
are here. Reaching for the sky
the plants celebrate
Debris from the storm
covers our path. Another
reason not to fight.
Suddenly right there
a deer outside my window
my heart skips a beat
Pale round moon sailing
the vast cloudless winter sky—
snowdrop buds peeking.
Dark grey clouds looming,
slow murky waters rising—
kids swimming, laughing.
Blinding blazing sun,
scorched fields and cracked earth waiting—
typhoons blossoming.
I just want to say thank you so much for organizing this contest! I have had so much fun reading through everyone’s delightful haiku. I submitted my entries a while ago and have been reveling in the talent as people are submitting..
Thank you, Cindy! I very much appreciate the high quality of so many haiku, the interaction of writers in comments to one another, and the grateful appreciation you and others express for this competition. Although it will close soon, entries remain visible indefinitely. Be sure to check back on September 29 for announcement of the winner in a new post that day, along with a list of runners-up chosen by Dr. Rimer and me.
Once strong father’s arms
desert willow drops its leaves
now frail in winter
pairs of sunbirds flit
amorous and musical
lonely cat watches
moonless summer night
in stillness, two things certain—
loneliness and God
maple leaves set alight
a lone path in the graveyard
at autumn sunset
mirage of rainbows
flickers over winter clouds
on a bus window
a leaf and a worm
lying wet on the wayside
after a spring storm
Cricket-chirps spouting
from lone, hidden nooks converge –
envelop like night
Brittle clattering
as patio-blown leaves sweep
away solstice warmth
A feathered white wisp
wafts over beaming rose-heads
only at wind’s whim
The sky, on fire,
Man blithely wraps in desire
And condemns his child.
Ma’s verdant coat’s swiped
by just eight billion bairns.
She now wears grunge grey.
The flood of sun rays
wash away all those yesterdays
morn’s new hopes float by.
Haiku 1
Bouquet of roses.
Say the old great grandmother
what am I living for
Haiku 2
The willow blossoms.
From the teeth of the caiman
drops of water fall
Haiku 3
On the way home
the light of the cocuyos,
the overcast sky
Last call for beauty-FULL NAMES to go with your haiku, if you entered the contest without them! Enough hours left to claim your entries. Thanks!
Haiku 1
Spring time, breeze calls me
walking by pink rose bushels
petals waving hi
Haiku 2
Autumn afternoon
whistler walking by fish ponds
to old tunes, they splash
Haiku 3
Dreary winter night
moon weaves in and out of clouds
whistling wind at sea
Remembrance Sunday…
on the unknown hero’s cross
a few paper cranes
*
deepening autumn…
the people in the hospice
talking about spring
*
old railway station…
the fragrance of linden trees
filling the wagons
old railway station…
the fragrance of linden trees
filling the wagons
Remembrance Sunday…
on the unknown hero’s cross
a few paper cranes
deepening autumn…
the people in the hospice
talking about spring
Hello
Trying my hand to write a classical 5-7-5 haiku with kigo
silent summer breeze
a blind boy laughs as he breaks
his birthday balloons
rainy autumn day
mother manages to walk
post leg surgery
intense summer heat
the leather bag starts to peel
its sticky odour
1) spring afternoon
the city have hypnozed
thousands_ eyed cherries
2) summer night
beneath the stary sky
I have no name
3) moonlight
crickets gnaw the night
knit the moon
In winter, a sheet of
snow was seen on the mountain
Fog was seen everywhere.
Birds are sitting in
the tree to avoid the raindrops.
Wet birds shiver.
The whole world wakes up
when the sun rises and goes to
sleep when the sun sets.
Best wishes all, my three for consideration
Construction season
Where forests once stood
Cultivated concrete blooms
Construction season
Cracks
Sun’s touch, cracks garden
Jagged fissures of torn soil
Rain soothes earthy wounds
Awaiting
Heavy vines dangle
Tomatoes now ripening
Raccoons awaiting
Rocket scientist
Calculates his wedding vow
Ignition Launch kiss