Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025 | $1,000+ Cash Prizes

The theme of the Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025 is Bridges of Belonging. The 12th annual Golden Haiku competition’s submission period is open.

Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025 

The theme of the Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025 is Bridges of Belonging. The 12th annual Golden Haiku competition’s submission period is now open.

Poets are invited to submit up to two original, self-authored haiku. Winning poets will win monetary prizes and recognition, while selected haiku (which includes winners) will be displayed throughout the neighborhood starting in March.

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Other Ongoing Writing Competitions

• The Rialto's Nature And Place Poetry Competition 2025 | $1750 Cash Prizes 
• The Christopher Salmon Poetry Competition 2025 | £100 Cash Prize 
• The Adeola Oyinlade & Co National Essay Competition 2025 | N250,000 Cash Prizes
• Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025 | $1,000+ Cash Prizes 
• The Nine Dots Prize 2024 | $100,000 Cash Prize 
• Harbor Editions - Laureate Prize 2024 Fee Exempt Submission for BIPOC Writers | $500 Cash Prize 

 Haiku Poetry Competition 2025

Originating in Japan, haiku is the shortest form of poetry in the world. In a short descriptive verse, it captures a moment in the poet’s life or simply expresses the beauty of nature.

For more than a decade, the Golden Triangle BID has hosted the Golden Haiku poetry competition to bring pops of warmth, color, and inspiration to the streets of downtown DC during the late winter months. Each year, we invite the public to write and submit original, contemporary haiku for this temporary community art project. In 2021, we introduced a youth category, inviting students to explore haiku and perhaps become published poets, and in 2024 a sub-group for Regional/DC youth was added. The competition is open to all ages, worldwide.

Submissions are reviewed by an expert panel of judges; winning poets receive prizes, and winning haiku are displayed on colorful street signs in the tree boxes lining the streets of the Golden Triangle neighborhood.

The competition’s popularity has grown each year; it is internationally recognized and beloved by locals and visitors alike. In 2024, we received around 4,000 haiku worldwide, including entries from 88 countries, our highest number yet.

Submission Guidelines for the Golden Haiku Poetry Competition 2025

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. Learn more about how to write a contemporary haiku here.

All entries are reviewed and judged by a distinguished panel of published haiku experts (see below) who select first, second, and third place adult winners, a regional favorite, and youth winners.

Winners

Adult:

First Place – $500

Second Place – $200

Third Place – $100

Regional/DC – $200

Youth:

High School – $150

Elementary/Middle School – $75

Regional/DC High School – $150

Regional/DC Elementary/Middle School – $75

Winning haiku are displayed in hundreds of tree boxes along some of Washington DC’s most iconic streets from March through early May. The colorful haiku signs brighten the winter landscape for all passersby to enjoy, reminding them during those late winter months that spring is just around the corner.

Competition Dates

The submission period opens December 10, 2024, and closes January 19, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Each participant may enter only once, submitting a maximum of two original, self-authored haiku via an online submission form that will be available on December 10th. Poems that have been previously published or currently under consideration for publication are allowed. Winners will be notified by email in early March, and publicly announced in mid-March.

Submit Here