I always enjoy seeing Australian writers receive awards in international haiku competitions. So, it was pleasing to find the Australian contingent had made such a strong showing in the 2023 International Haiku Competition conducted by the Irish Haiku Society.

The Society runs the competition annually, with the 2023 contest having been judged by their founding Chairman, Anatoly Kudryavitsky. Details of the competition and the full results can be found here. In 2023, five haiku by four Australian writers were awarded and commended.

First Prize was awarded to Simon Hanson for the following haiku:

mother of pearl
the silvers and greys
of moonlight

Haiku help us see familiar aspects of the world with new insight, and the fresh imagery in Simon’s poem is a great example of how this can be achieved.

The next haiku, by Ron C. Moss, was awarded equal Third Prize while the following three haiku all received Honourable Mentions in the competition:

sunlit stillness
a pair of mallards
exchange breaths

Ron C. Moss

water’s edge . . .
a night heron
probes the moon

Jo McInerney

billabong sunset
eyes among
the waterlilies

Cynthia Rowe

coming in waves
darkness and moonlight
lapping the shore

Simon Hanson

Each of these five haiku show just how carefully haiku poets observe the world around them. Each poem is like a miniature painting crafted with words. It’s often said that learning to see the world more clearly is one of the great joys of writing haiku and it’s evident from this set of poems how the processes of observing and writing become intertwined.

Entries for the Irish Haiku Competition usually close around the end of November, so keep an eye on the Society’s website for competition timing and guidelines if you would like to submit some haiku of your own in the future.