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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 September 25, 2026, 6 p.m. EST (New York time). Results to be announced October 9, 2026. Please check back on October 9 or after to view the “Best Haiku of 2026” selected from this competition.
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HOW
Post your entries in the Comments below. (Click “Next” at the bottom-right of the comments to see all of the submitted poems.)
PLEASE NOTE: If you are having trouble submitting in the comments section below, you may email them instead to [email protected] with subject line “HAIKU.” Our apologies for the inconvenience.
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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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laughter echoes through
quiet room in hospital
he asks for the year
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chiming temple bell
the sakura petal dives
into rippling pond
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on my way back home
only the night birds are free
my homework piles up
Hello, and thank you for running this competition. Good luck to everyone.
Haiku #1
The Short Line
the short line between
silent stone in snow dated.
young or old no more.
Haiku #2
Master Potter’s Hands
master potter’s hands
clay too wet, weak, and wobbling
slackened earth reclaimed.
Haiku #3
Two Red Hearts Beating
two red hearts beating
in a ball of frozen snow.
eternal springtime.