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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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shaped by water
stones emerge from the deep
burned by the sun
the melancholy
of family pictures
first days of winter
the smell of green grass
lingering on my dogs feet
before I must part
bare trees show clear moon
my thought-moon growth gone shines white
inside leaves still grow
fading wildflower
resting in the church doorway
unties her worn boots
early morning mist
rising from the undergrowth
steam-birth of a fawn
frost-bitten blossom —
one by one I pack away
the nursery room
old age wanderlust —
a slug stretches its eyestalks
into summer sun
Amsterdam
Anne Frank Museum
Behind bookshelves, no one talks
Everyone listens.
the monsoon drizzling
jumping in the new puddles then
waves erase the prints
abandoned temple
dragon flies among monsoon
flowers lot of kids
the cherry blossoms
the day and night bright in side
bride blooms than the sun
soft suburban ache
no great shake, wait, slow words fall
happy birthday mum
Sliding in rhythm
Bathtub waves strike Tokyo
Godzilla spanks hard
Snow-melt waterfalls
Fill a crystal lake below
Peace transcending storms
Potter’s toil and tears,
Clay clings to clammy fingers,
Fortune’s wheel spins lives!
***
Pebbled river beds –
Trouts, tourists, shingles, selfies,
A cairn for the dead
***
Dusk rustles through pines
Sylvan symphony unfolds
Tempest in my heart
Hello there stranger
I’ve never seen you before
Good, now we are friends
Small leaves fall softly
A fox emerges from his home
Rusty clouds fading
Bright Sunlight dances
The tide comes over the sand
A seagull dosing
chilly breezes blow
Water now turned into ice
I put on my coat
My Garden blooming
Fruit buds appearing on trees
Air warming the day
Thirsty sun shining
Deep blue cool water shimmers
Boats dancing on lakes
Leaves float gracefully
Branches becoming naked
More seasons ahead
Crisp air cools my face
Ice frozen over a lake
The swoosh of my skates
Morning dew drops down
A leaf falls slowly into my hands
The horn beeps, its time
The heat makes me sweat
I throw my body in the water
My skin begins to cool
Orange leaves fall quietly
An owl come out to hunt
As it turns to night
The bare trees stand tall
The fox gently slinks around
While others sleep
The sun shines brightly
Reflecting off the water
As the children play
Smell of salt water
White sand hot under my feet
A shinning pink shell
The sky is so blue
The sun is so warm up high
Summer is here now
Lambs spring happily
Through the luscious and green fields
Now springtime is here
falling plum blossoms
a Chinese woman’s dou li
catches most of them
Light snow drifts slowly
Cold breaths fill the frosty air
Soft breeze tickles me
Vibrant falling leaves
Floating down from the bare trees
Autumn’s gentle touch
Pink cherry blossoms
Glistening in the sunshine
Mystical landscape
Red leaves hold my hand
As I take the path toward
Far colder places
Mists of cloudy breath
Lips stung by the freezing frost
Eyes blink away cold
Blossoms dance with nymphs
Pollen swirls like magic dust
Enchanted summer
Summer’s thirsty tongues
Clear cold raindrops start to fall
Kissing under leaves
Forked leafy branches
A black widow’s rumbling fades
Folded behind back
Day’s sharp blade of light
Darting voices raised in heat
Lovers’ ties are cut
Blood. Blood everywhere.
On the grass. On the tree barks.
And he sits there. Calm.
Unfazed. Unbothered.
Even he is surprised by this. Pretty sight, at least.
He holds his love close. Comforts her. Reassures her.
For now, she needs this.
What life is Spring?
Small breaths newly awaken
From the sleep of death.
~
Bittersweet is Fall!
Vibrant colors dance in swirls!
Nature slowly dies.
~
Quiet is Winter.
Nature’s death is stark silence.
Hushed, it rests in hope.
cold pink-faced macaques
soak in hot spring’s steamy mist
cooing to their young
a brief glow flickers
winter firefly phantom light
red fox prints snow path
millions of starlings
surging, swinging, swooping
autumn’s fluid flight
she is light years away
but I still smell her fragrance
in wild spring flowers
dipping in Ganges
winter mist hugs equally
both sinners and saints
autumn sea at dusk
dad is no longer with me
to show infinity
dying cherry tree;
copper sundial shows time:
dog days-spent in green
hot winds slow the mind
raining needles of white pine,
grapes firm on the vine
a peach is pulled from
the shading branch—so grasps the
mother’s loving hand
Many thanks, Melissa, for your many haiku! Please, in order to receive the judges’ consideration in the competition, choose three out of these twelve as your entries. Only three per poet are allowed, according to the WHAT instructions above. You may leave the others posted here, but please make a second comment copying the three you consider best, and stating that you withdraw others. Thanks.
I guess I should’ve read that info… sorry about that! Good thing though, as I found a couple typos.
I am submitting these 3 as my entries, and withdrawing the rest:
amaryllis blooms
resembling vibrant feathers
phoenix in disguise
two kittens hunting
within the emerald grass
a mama cat’s tail
dawn arrives astride
a golden hued chariot
sun’s awakening