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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 in the last twelve months and therefore are not a repeat submission from a previous year. Poems written using artificial intelligence (AI) are not allowed. 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
$200
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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 August 15, 2025, 6 pm EST (New York time). Results to be announced August 28, 2025. Please check back on August 28 or after to view the “Best Haiku of 2025” selected from this competition. NOTE: THE HAIKU CONTEST HAS ENDED! No more entries, the comments have been closed! Thanks to all who entered!
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HOW
Post your entries in the Comments below.
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WHAT
Each competitor may post in the comments below 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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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turquoise meltwater
rushing through the old city
another heatwave
late summer sunshine
at the end of a grass-blade
an ant turns around
the sound of crickets
getting deep into the drought
a water sprinkler
lonely maple leaf
kisses the cooling concrete
colors it autumn
Three haiku reflecting the turning of the seasons, each drawn from moments observed in the British countryside.
Winter
frost on the hedgerow —
a rook lifts into pale sky
above the frozen fields
Spring
blackthorn scent drifting —
a postman tips his cap to
the returning swifts
Autumn
mist in the reedbeds —
a fisherman’s torch sways past
the heron’s shadow
yellow leaves ahead
the rivulet meanders
yellow leaves behind
biblical torrent
the corn no longer knee high
…I search for Noah
Two old lovers kiss
in the glow of the full moon…
scent of cherry blooms
Echo of the bombs…
sombre shadows keep falling
upon the rubble
A fisherman’s oars
caress the glistening sea…
symphony of light
1
Footprints in the snow,
leading where I cannot go,
melt before I learn.
2
Old pine by the gate,
roots grip deep in ancient soil,
Wind hums through the years.
3
Empty wooden bench,
faces I will never meet
Wait in the sunlight.
despite the high heat
dry ditch of morning glories
still full of itself
two closest islands
watching me all of my life
eyes across the lake
against the warm earth
every inch of inchworm
eventually
a climate denier
waiting for a large blizzard
Dairy Queen – July
1.
Watching fireworks paint
colors across summer skies
while cicadas sing.
2.
Bon Festival, dead
loved ones dance home with autumn
voices, dried from heat.
3.
Colder nights came quick
whipping leaves around our feet
covering brown ground.
Motionless summer
Cicadas’ haunted humming,
Smoke disguised as air.
Playing hide and seek—
Where are you, ruby rooster,
With your sweet, sweet song?
Restless remedy,
The slow to my frantic flow.
Step, step— forest glow.
Snow-covered landscape —
Lonely footprints traverse
A light far away?
my father tells me
to go do, go be, go see
’tis the writer’s way
creativity
doesn’t fall far from the tree
from my dad to me
cold and refreshing
I think I like when it rains
it cleanses my soul
an unfinished letter —
the drops of water on the table
change into new shapes
at the bus stop
snow on the old man’s shoulders
slowly melts away
an old wooden gate —
in exactly the same light
blooming plum tree now
Blossoms bursting forth
Nature wakes from its sleep
A lone acorn sprouts
Fall moonlight waxes
Moths dance fearlessly although
It gives them away
Ill try forever
Ill grow wings someday fly high
Be it dead or alive
Unworn shoes stand still,
the world never heard her laugh—
now the angel flies.
Sun over the hills
burns my cheek with its old heat –
the touch I recall.
Anhedonia –
craving through an empty soul
to savor the earth.
Smoke I once adored,
now wraps around my body
closing every breath.
another meeting
the snowflakes on their noses
meet for the first time
the summer full moon
the astronaut and his wife
look at it anew
the orphan’s drawing
his dad dancing with his mom
amidst the Perseids
1.
nesting in the eaves
she sings a melancholy tune
in the spring drizzle
2.
snowflakes melt
rhythmically
in the hugs of the river waves
neglecting the pale moon
3.
child with the bare string
looks at his kite floating freely
among the blue clouds
ONE:
Mystery as it
Seems to turn away in seconds
Like clockwork
TWO:
Hostile lie the trees
As they sway over our wooden
Boat far away at sea
THREE:
Numb lies stolen time
When the minutes flee ahead
And hours subside
FOUR:
Sanguine the world lies
For never having to show
Their concealed disguise.
Deer huddle “neath pine
Snow pillows forest sanctum
Quietly hidden
Fog fades silently
Sun rays filter through branches
Yellow leaves clinging
Bitter snow at dawn
Island warmth welcomed by noon
Bare feet free at last
rose razzle-dazzle
daisy pandemonium –
star shenanigans
indian paintbrush
spikes like crimson firecrackers –
seeds of prairie fire
frog pond symphonies
dragonflies conduct crickets –
moon walks on water
Margaret, these two entries went astray… I’ll email their email addresses to you.
Adam Crawford
August 1, 2025
The stream’s steady flow,
stopped by stacked sticks, filters through
them and continues.
Cora a Vidrine
August 9, 2025
My life
Life feels like a dream,
pain too heavy for my hands—
still, I chase the light.