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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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rose petals fall down
my sense is to still smell them
knowing there is some
blue sky and white clouds
beauty I see from below
imagine the view up high
my spring has sprung now
I am more than done to go
dance into eternity
Hi, can you please remove my poem? It’s the one with the orange blanket. Thank you.
raging winter wind
turning one frost bitten cheek
and then the other
fast approaching storm
squeezing a thunder shirt
over the dog’s head
first day of the year
twenty twenty six fills up
with appointments
Tiny, crushed sparrow
Her wings still trying to fly
On wind from cruel cars
after the rainstorm
ant armies, in single file,
march into my house
red leaves and yellow
falling on the woodland path
slow me on my way
ripened heads of wheat
nod in the late summer sun
heavy with wisdom
Spring light composing
sonnets on blond fur, my cat
beheads a March hare
My cat dines neatly
on dragonfly al fresco–
earthly Paradise
My young cat riding
on my shoulders through autumn–
cooler than a Muse
A fading gold finch
Ravages the coneflower.
She trusts the outcome.
Quietly peeks out
Little creature of the night
Shy bashful gecko
*****
Perfect crescent moon
Big swing hanging in night sky
Stars dance around it
*****
Top of old pine tree
Mocking bird announces day
Sweet song of new hope
long after she’s gone
the memories mother left
in her cabinet
lending their fragrance
to the wind in a desert
notes of an old flute
coloring the space
between the concrete towers
all the shades of spring
in sweltering heat
the sudden screech of sirens
stilled streets jolt alive
smiling on my walk
a passing stranger asks me
have we met before?
loud gospel singing
coming from the Baptist Church
outside looking in
Flame consumes the trees.
Ashes leave black pocks below,
staining the fresh snow.
the red maple leaf
that you brought home from a walk
I treasure it, still
in everyone’s life
should be a time of kissing
under lilac trees
to the autumn wind:
I am yours, breathe me, turn me
into grass and trees
the gray tabby cat
curls up under the sunlight —
a perfect circle
mom’s summer cleaning
the one time of the year where
my clothes cannot fit
boy helps neighbor plant
rusted, red shovel-neighbor
shows boy a weed’s root
pomp and circumstance
the host hanging a fly strip
on my arrival
one river rising
so many lost in the flow
of what could have been
Dog haiku
I. Dog’s POV
This man gives me food
Same old shirt—rugged, dirty
Richest man I know
II. Man’s POV
A heart that struggles
Felt inside, hidden outward
Surely this paw knows
—
Passion haiku
Plucked a shriveled rose
markings of beauty arose
a withered passion
Fireworks symbols life
Soars, reaches a peak, gives awe
Then slips into hush.
Things I need to do
Piled up incoming deadlines
So I took a nap
A dog is barking
I barked back to make it stop
Two fools at midnight
sir I would like to put some changes on my first haiku. this is the updated one, thank you.
a firework ascends
sparks awe—then slips into hush
sur lives, brief but bright
Things I need to do
Piled up incoming deadlines
So I took a nap
A dog is barking
I barked back to make it stop
Two fools at midnight
Sir I would like to put some changes on my first haiku. this is the updated one, thank you. some typos again.
a firework ascends
sparks awe—then slips into hush
our lives, brief but bright
Things I need to do
Piled up incoming deadlines
So I took a nap
A dog is barking
I barked back to make it stop
Two fools at midnight
#2
pausing at the fork
on the horse’s braided mane
three snowflakes linger
hurtful words spoken
slipping from an angry tongue ~
echo eternal
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luminaries rise
circling a congregation ~
catching falling stars
~~~~
before the leaves turn gold
before the gray frosts our hair ~
we will remember
Hopeless romantics
Sketch initials in warm sand,
Waves wipe the beach clean.
Blossoms drift sideways
a scarecrow dances gently
when no wind passes
Cicadas crackle
a hammock folds with laughter
as sunlight stretches
Footprints fade softly
a mailbox leans in silence
beneath silver hush
snowflakes are soft, yet
the gentlest words cut like blades
and melt in the sun