Seventh Annual Golden Haiku Poetry Contest Accepting Entries

Washington, D.C. (December 4, 2019) – The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID), announces the start of its seventh annual Golden Haiku poetry contest. Poets and aspiring poets from around the region and the world are invited to submit their original, self-authored verse.

Winning Haiku — along with a selection of honorable mentions — will be displayed in hundreds of tree boxes along some of Washington, DC’s most iconic streets from late February through late April 2020. The colorful haiku signs will brighten the winter landscape for thousands of passersby to enjoy, reminding them during those late winter months that spring is just around the corner.

“Over the past six years, Golden Haiku has become a highly regarded, internationally recognized literary art contest,” said Leona Agouridis, Executive Director of the Golden Triangle BID. “Last year, we received nearly 2,000 submissions from 50 countries and 41 states and the District of Columbia. We are excited to launch this year’s event and appreciate everyone who takes the time to participate. Every year, Washingtonians look forward to seeing the colorful haiku signs pop up across the neighborhood.”

Inspired by the Golden Triangle community’s passion for urban sustainability and environmental consciousness — and the Golden Triangle’s recent LEED Platinum certification — this year’s theme is the beauty of nature in the city.

The contest follows the Haiku Society of America’s guidelines for modern haiku. Golden Haiku does not require the traditional 5-7-5 structure because English and Japanese are vastly different languages.

All entries will be reviewed and judged by a distinguished panel of published haiku experts, who will select first, second and third place winners as well as a regional favorite.

The authors of the winning haiku will receive:

First place – $500
Second place – $200
Third place – $100
Regional winner – $200

The expert panel members are:

Abigail Friedman, author of The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, I Wait for the Moon: 100 Haiku of Momoko Kuroda and Street Chatter Fading. Abigail Friedman is on the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. She is also the founder and CEO of The Wisteria Group.

Kit Pancoast Nagamura, a columnist for The Japan Times who appeared as a regular on NHK World‘s Haiku Masters and Journeys in Japan programs. Kit Pancoast Nagamura has won one of Japan’s prestigious Ito-en Oi Cha Haiku Contest prizes and is a member of the Haiku International Association. Her book Grit, Grace, and Gold will be published in spring 2020. She will be judging from Japan.

John Stevenson, managing editor of The Heron’s Nest. A former President of the Haiku Society of America, John Stevenson has served as editor of Frogpond. He is the author of books such as Quiet Enough, Some of the Silence, Live Again, (d)ark and Emoji Moon.

Submissions for the seventh annual Golden Haiku poetry contest will be accepted starting December 2, 2019, through January 12, 2020. Winners will be announced in late February 2020.

Participants must be 18-years or older and may enter only once, submitting a maximum of three self-authored haikus via the online submission form on the Golden Triangle’s website.

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About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District

Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC’s central business district, the 43-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. Home to roughly 6,000 businesses, the BID provides a clean, safe, and vibrant environment for hundreds of thousands of workers, residents, and visitors, and encourages economic development through capital projects, public art, sustainability, and events. The Golden Triangle has been awarded LEED Platinum, the highest level of LEED certification, by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first BID in the world to be certified through the LEED for Communities program. For more information, visit: goldentriangledc.com and connect on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Media Contacts
Mareike Finck, mfinck@goldentriangledc.com, 202-463-3400

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