Every year, the Irish Haiku Society conducts an International Haiku Competition. In 2024, the competition was judged by the Society’s founding Chairman, Anatoly Kudryavitsky. Details of the competition and a copy of the successful poems can be found here. First Prize went to Gary Hotham from the USA while the Runner-up was Tony Williams from… Read More 2024 Irish Haiku Competition
Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture in the northern part of Honshu Island, Japan. The Morioka International Haiku Contest was introduced in 2019 to mark the 130th anniversary of Morioka attaining city status. The 6th Contest, conducted in 2024, was judged by Michael Dylan Welch and Toshio Kimura. The Contest attracted a total… Read More 6th Morioka International Haiku Contest
The Koto City Basho Museum conducts an annual contest known as the Basho-an International English Haiku Competition. The famous Japanese haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), moved to what was then the outskirts of Tokyo in 1680, where he lived in a rustic hut built by his disciples. From that time forward, Basho took his name… Read More 6th Basho-an International English Haiku Competition
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… Read More 2023 Irish Haiku Competition
The organisers of the Trailblazer Contest have challenged writers to use haiku, or tanka, in new and unusual ways. They’ve challenged writers to incorporate the essence of these Japanese forms into contemporary poetry that is fresh and innovative. You can visit the Trailblazer Contest website here. I was fortunate to have one of my haiku… Read More Haiku Trailblazer Contest
In 2000, John Bird and Janice Bostok (1942-2011) co-founded the Australian Haiku Society. Sadly, John passed away in May 2022 after many years spent promoting haiku, supporting haiku writers and encouraging the use of Australian subjects and seasonal references in haiku. Every two years, the Australian Haiku Society conducts the John Bird Dreaming Award to… Read More 2022 John Bird Dreaming Award
WA Poets Inc publishes the quarterly online poetry journal, Creatrix. WA Poets is the peak body for the development of poets and poetry in Western Australia. Each issue features haiku and longer forms of poetry, with haiku and poetry prize winners selected from the four issues published over the calendar year. In 2022, the Creatrix… Read More Creatrix Haiku Prize: 2022
In recent months, one of my haiku received an Honourable Mention in a Croatian haiku competition while another received an Honourable Mention in an Irish contest. With a number of countries now running competitions for haiku written in English, I thought it might be helpful to provide links to various of these competition websites. Please… Read More English-Language Haiku Competitions
Gregory Piko 