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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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Respected judges and fellow poets,
Is there a way to get notified of the winning poems, or perhaps a daily/weekly digest of poems submitted? The poetry is beautiful, and I don’t want to unsubscribe, but my email inbox is becoming crowded (and I don’t want to set up another filter). Suggestions would be appreciated!
Warmly, Halli
Halli Steinberg,
Every entry in this Haiku Contest is in this comment section.
Simply scroll up from my reply here and you can read every single entry. Thanks, Mike the Moderator.
Dear Halli Steinberg and others interested,
The WHEN section near the beginning of this competition post says results will be announced September 29. “Results” means the winning poem and runners-up judged to have composed the best haiku submitted here. If you subscribe, but cannot find the results in your inbox on September 29, come to classicalpoets.org, click on POETRY, and look for the same snow scene picture as above, with the title BEST HAIKU OF 2024.
I was bleeding out
I thought my cuts were sewn up-
Healing takes its time
The leaves left quickly
But the tree did not bargain
It knew things had changed
I was bleeding out
I thought my cuts were sewn up-
Healing takes its time
pinks whisper of gold
bees buzz oblivious as
red mites hitch a ride
something in common –
hermit thrush and I, our throats
full of lonely song
war cemetery
moonshadow slowly swallows
the names of the dead
a snowy owl’s swoop
she startles a woodpecker
from his busy beat
decay striking red
turning memories to ghosts
soft death for new life
branches and empty
a coat of silence to wear
anticipation
ghosts moan through the trees
yellow orange and crimson
blurry transitions
We long for bright dreams
where angels’ wings flutter by
Behold, butterfly
Sunset as promise
Red clouds dancing over waves
At dawn an omen
Seeking attention
snowdrops knock against the cold
Keep the door open
hanging the laundry
tiny perfect sets of clothes
for my unborn son
silence on the beach
she seems happy holding hands
wind tousles her hair
jewels on brown skin
apples set in golden leaves
orchard at evening
Sabaras spiral
Soldiers braving brisk breezes
Bull finch on alert
birds at the window
holding empty chair he talks
to his late father
a sudden downpour
on an unwanted journey
brown grass turning green
countless tiny moons
illuminate the stone path
a frozen koi pond
humid cricket song
and quiet breezes deserve
a cat at full length
ice-cold stormy sea
a pair of otters surface
in designer furs
submerged paper boat
the toddler retrieves his tears
from the puddle’s edge
bees in the snowbell
busy with floral treasures
that nourish and heal
warm sand’s embraces
rhythmic seaside alpha waves
bestow healing balm
the start of spring break
all those heavy books stay still
deep in the backpack
hands limp on the bed
my mother throws all the pills
into the twilight
Fistfuls of oozing
sweet flesh slips from sticky hands.
Mango stones lay bared.
Cracking thunder beats
to Kalboishakhi lilting
on darkened grey stage.
Vibrant brolly tops
brush Mumbai’s louring canvas –
painting in motion.
The sea cloaked in mist
as I grieve the loss of you
a seagull cries out
Grandmother’s lilacs
Craft cloister where children
And chameleons play.
Flowers are wilting.
Dry seeds lie scattered beneath.
Tomorrow’s glory!
Wild geese glide downward.
A down-covered flotilla
Splashes on the creek.
ancient ice expanse
quietly drips, drips cold tears
of the universe
the fleeting snowfall
how each of us might entwine
into its promise