Golden Haiku: 2023 Winners

The 2023 Golden Haiku competition was another record-breaking year. We received entries from 75 countries, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Over 3,100 haiku were received, including submissions from more than 260 talented poets under the age of 18 who participated in the Youth category. Winning haiku can be seen on colorful signs throughout the Golden Triangle into early May.

All entries were reviewed and judged by a distinguished panel of published haiku experts including Abigail Friedman, Lenard Moore, Kit Pancoast Nagamura, and John Stevenson.

Golden Haiku follows the Haiku Society of America’s guidelines for modern haiku, which does not require the traditional 5-7-5 structure. Removing the strict structural requirements for syllables frees the author to use evocative language to capture a moment or expression of beauty in a short, descriptive verse.