Home > Newsroom > Sixth Annual Golden Haiku Poetry Competition Accepting Entries
Washington, D.C. (January 3, 2019) – Attention all poets and aspiring poets! The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID), in Washington, D.C. announces the start of its 6th annual Golden Haiku literary competition.
Award-winning haiku entries, along with dozens of honorable mentions, will be featured in tree boxes along some of the city’s most iconic, busy streets throughout March. The colorful signs will brighten the winter landscape and remind us all that spring is around the corner.
Judging for Golden Haiku follows the Haiku Society of America’s guidelines, which state that a modern haiku uses imagistic language to convey an experience, usually regarding nature or seasons. Because English and Japanese are such vastly different languages, the 5-7-5, three-line structure most are accustomed to gets lost in translation and is not required for our entries.
“Our Golden Haiku competition is highly regarded and internationally recognized with entries last year coming from 45 countries, 34 states and the District,” said Golden Triangle BID Executive Director Leona Agouridis. “In addition to engaging poetry lovers from around the world, we are able to bring the winning poems to the streets of our neighborhood adding some whimsy and color for passersby to enjoy during the late winter months.”
Submissions for the Golden Triangle’s 2019 Golden Haiku contest will be accepted through Feb. 4, 2019, and the entries will be judged by a panel of published haiku experts. The recommended theme will be “Spring in the City,” but other haiku will be accepted.
Each participant may enter only once, submitting a maximum of three haiku on the Golden Triangle’s online submission form. In addition to first, second and third place awards, the contest will also award a regional favorite. Winners could receive prizes valued up to $500.
This year’s entries will be judged by the following distinguished poets:
Abigail Friedman is the author of The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan (Stone Bridge Press), I Wait for the Moon: 100 Haiku of Momoko Kuroda (Stone Bridge Press) and Street Chatter Fading (Larkspur Press). She is on the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., and CEO of The Wisteria Group.
Kit Pancoast Nagamura has been a columnist for The Japan Times for over a decade, and appears as a regular on NHK WORLD‘s “HAIKU MASTERS” and “Journeys in Japan” programs. She is a recent prize winner in Japan’s prestigious Ito-en Oi Cha Haiku Contest, a member of the Haiku International Association and will be judging from Japan.
John Stevenson is managing editor of The Heron’s Nest. A former President of the Haiku Society of America, he has served as editor of Frogpond. John Stevenson is the author of books such as Quiet Enough, Some of the Silence, Live Again, (d)ark and Emoji Moon.
For more information about the contest and to submit a haiku, visit www.goldentriangledc.com/haiku.
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About the Golden Triangle BID
The Golden Triangle BID is a non-profit corporation that works to enhance the Golden Triangle — the 43-square-block central business district that stretches from the White House to Dupont Circle. The primary focus of the BID is to provide a clean, safe, and vibrant environment within this remarkable neighborhood, and to retain and attract businesses to the Golden Triangle. Founded in 1997, the Golden Triangle BID encourages economic development through capital improvement projects, a variety of engaging events, and public art projects. The BID connects its members to numerous resources, events, and information in and around the neighborhood and strives to increase quality of life through public safety and maintenance services. Together with corporate and government partners, the BID develops and implements programs that strengthen the vitality of the Golden Triangle.
