Golden Haiku: 2026 Winners

The 2026 Golden Haiku competition set another record-breaking year, receiving nearly 5,000 haiku worldwide from all 50 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands—as well as 90+ countries worldwide. Outside of the US, countries with the most submitters were India, Mexico, Canada, UK, and Nigeria. Winning and selected haiku are displayed on colorful signs throughout the Golden Triangle from March through May.

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

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.