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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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so cold my breath hurts —
descending the snowbank from
an upstairs window
neighbor’s lawnmower
heralds the scent of mown grass
through open windows
stop for a second
on a light, airy morning
after snow: hear still
the violet snaps
her lithe limbs toward the sun
as the bee studies
Stop for a second. The cold can be so delicate.
Andrew, please provide your last name as requested above under WHO may enter the competition. You can give it as a reply to me here–no need to re-type your haiku. Thanks!
Yeager. Thank you
refreshing myself
refreshing nature bloom
all cherry blossoms
unfamiliar roads
unknown fake destination
mysterious end
The morning spring dew
falling petals in cool breeze
cherry blossoms path
laughs dissolve in drink
jokes devolve into venom –
summer night turns cold
refreshing myself
refreshing nature bloom
all cherry blossoms
unfamiliar roads
unknown fake destination
mysterious end
The morning spring dew
falling petals in cool breeze
cherry blossoms path
orange blossoms bloom
the lingering scent of cold
fog covers my eyes
rain quiets down slowly
the wind softly brushes past
frogs croak, sleep descends
sky darkens, above
the crowd huddle together
and rain falls softly
Thanks for your haiku, Leo, and please provide your last name along with them. You may do that in reply to me here; no need to re-enter your poems.
fig tree sings sweetest,
fickle fuzz roots seeping through
our summer postcard
London fog dances,
stranded street lamp company
gold rust embrace me
iridescent wave,
rabbit atop ocean ground
questions snowflake sand
Parched and dying land
begs stoic Mother Nature
to weep precious tears.
This is so moving.
cascading marvel
of orange bougainvilleas …
heavy summer rain
early morning walk
on toasted bread a black ant
steps on the bright sun
1) The lake clear and still
Autumn ripples, geese fly south.
The lake; still again.
2) Little lamp of clay:
A bright flame to banish night
Glow! Now autumn ends.
3) Dot. Dash. Firefly
Your Morse Code in the night sky,
Summer makes me cry.
“Longing for Autumn ”
Eventide’s ochre
Suffuses autumnal air,
Bare-boned flagstones mute.
“School”
Little kids babble,
As shepherds guide their tethers
Close to curbs concrete.
Poems written by Christopher G Sahar
She is harmony, joy and soulmate
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> Radiant flower never fading
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> Beauty enthralling desire.
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> Colin Ian Jeffery
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> Lover, wife and mother
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> Strength and purpose
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> Companion on life’s journey.
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> Colin Ian Jeffery
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> When truth calls out
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> Like mighty trumpet blast
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> We rally to the sound.
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> Colin Ian Jeffery
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I’m now a leaf: blow.
For these days are crossroads, but
Nowhere is labeled.
Summer loses heat.
She keeps me warm, day and night,
But wakes me up cold.
Oleander blooms…
Hiroshima mon amour
never-ending war
deceptive comfort—
guarding children at the beach
in a rattan chair
damselfly kisses
a silver underbelly…
the reflecting pool
Please find below three independent haiku not intended to be a series. Thank you for your consideration. ~Lara Dolphin
frost shimmers then melts
into gleaming pocket pools
watering the earth
cremated remains
sprinkled over rose bushes
have found their way home
birds in scarlet oaks
herald longer days singing
things won’t fall apart
Thank you for your consideration -Jack Ratliff
1) Counteroffensive
The sunflowers march.
Their heads bowed and their stems limp—
Cloaked in autumn frost.
2) Martyrs
Candles flicker low
in the chapel’s quiet gloom—
sacrifice endures.
3) Summer
This season warmed us—
But the leaf went brown and curled,
And the bird, silent.
the sun after the cloud –
the sunflower field sway slowly
looking for the lost one
panic among tourists –
a rattlesnake follows its way
ignoring them all
near the bush of grass
an ant suddenly stopped
to adjust burden
I think these have interesting and beautiful images.
D.J.Etchell
where stubbled fields wait
cloying mists haunt low hollows
slow ploughs brow the earth
through barren branches
last light caresses softly
leaf burial mounds
grey snarling seas churn
bladderwrack rots on the beach
mournful gulls glide high
Trudging through the snow
up and down the hillside drift
A night for cold feet.
Wintry night’s portrait
Boshi lean into the wind
Six feet in the snow.
emptiness around –
between silence and silence
the heat of summer
sunny summer noon –
a temple’s shadow filled with
a prayer for rain
night summer puddle –
bare feet of a homeless man
immersed in the stars
Marek Kozubek
19th floor, earthquake
sirens blare, my mother screams –
tranquil clouds recline
meant to write out nineteenth instead of using the numbers, but did it absent-mindedly. Sorry about that.
Away from the sun
I sit alone with my thoughts
Light draws its curtain
Serene little friend
Walks past me in Summer’s noon
Tranquil in feathers
Purple flowers field
Fragrance pervades Nana’s room
Departure in spring
Palestinian
chick peas on David’s bagel
Israel bans hummus
I tried to join Men-
-sa but they declined the quest
due to my low Haik