The original British Haiku Society awards were established for haiku by and named in honor of James W. Hackett, pioneering American haiku poet. Hackett initially underwrote the activity through royalties from his book sales. He made the final choice of winning haiku from a shortlist prepared by a panel of BHS selectors. The James W Hackett Awards were open to the general public worldwide. A submission fee was charged, usually a few pounds for three haiku.
For the 2nd contest (1992) in addition to the entries submitted by postal mail, “all haiku published in Blithe Spirit during the year (excluding those of Committee members) were automatic entries.”1
Contest results, together with substantial commentaries by Hackett, were published in the BHS newsletter, The Brief, and the second issue of Blithe Spirit in the year following the contest.2 Also in 2020, to mark the society’s 25th anniversary, along with the money award and certificates, all winners, runners-up, and commendations received books from the BHS.
In 2010 the Hackett Awards were joined with the Society’s Tanka Awards and Haibun Anthology Awards and together renamed the BHS Awards. The haiku section of the competition was renamed in honor of David Cobb in 2020. Tables for the BHS Tanka Awards and the BHS Haibun Awards are in preparation.
Table of Contents
- BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2025
- BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2024
- BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2023
- BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2022
- BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2021
- BHS Haiku Awards / David Cobb Haiku Awards 2020
- BHS Haiku Awards 2019–Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2018—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2017—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2016—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2015—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2014—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2013—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2012—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2011—Haiku Section
- BHS Haiku Awards 2010—Haiku Section
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2009
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2008
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2007
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2006
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 2005
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award 2004
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2003
- BHS James W Hackett International Award 2002
- 12th James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2001
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 2000
- BHS James W Hackett International Awards 1999
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 1998
- BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 1997
- BHS James W Hackett Awards 1996
- BHS James W Hackett Awards 1995
- BHS James W Hackett Awards 1994
- BHS James W Hackett Awards 1993
- BHS James W Hackett Awards 1992
- BHS James W Hackett Haiku Awards 1991
- Sources / Further Reading
- Compiled by the British Haiku Society and Haikupedia Editors
- Notes
BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2025
| Judges | Jim Kacian and Lakshmi Iyer | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Nick Taylor | |
| Number of entries | 914 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 36:2 (May 2026) | |
| Judge Kacian’sselections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Benedict Grant, Canada | cool mountain creek coming back as a deer |
| Runner-up (£50) | Gregory Longenecker, U.S.A. | an answer to a forgotten question komorebi |
| Honourable Mention (3) | Julie Schwerin, U.S.A. | … a hole in his pocket glacial erratics |
| Matt Morden, Wales | dementia talk a magpie breaks the bird bath ice | |
| Joshua St. Claire, U.S.A. | night jasmine I tell Sirius my real name | |
| JudgeIyer’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Scott Mason , U.S.A. | editing God a leafcutter ant |
| Runner-up (£50) | Meera Rehm, England | first swift the deaf girl describes it |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Owen Bullock, Australia | leaving the shrine gate I begin again |
| C.X. Turner, U.K. | sun-warmed path a child lifts a worm leaf by leaf | |
| David Jacobs, England | construction site why does nothing never happen |
BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2024
| Judges | Ikuyo Yoshimura Maeve O’Sullivan | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Nick Taylor | |
| Number of entries | 765 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 35:2 (May 2025) | |
| Judge Yoshimura’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Elliott Simons, U.S.A. | cracked bricks laced with moss kintsugi |
| Runner-up (£50) | D W Brydon, Scotland | in his memory she waltzes in the garden with snowflakes |
| Honourable Mention | Owen Bullock, Australia | Mother’s Day― her bunch of flowers made of lego |
| JudgeO’Sullivan’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Meera Rehm, England | spring arrives for my blind sister too white-eye’s song |
| Runner-up (£50) | Sharon Martina, U.S.A. | song sparrow my newborn’s lungs filling with air |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Alan Peat, England | skylark high enough to be nothing but song |
| Tom Cunliffe, England | burning the hive the blind beekeeper’s vivid apron | |
| Shiva Bhusal, U.S.A. | tatami floor the tea master bows to a toddler |
BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2023
| Judges | Klaus-Dieter Wirth Caroline Skanne | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 483 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 34:2 (May 2024) | |
| Judge Wirth’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Heather Lurie, New Zealand | standing against a city of stars the stag |
| Runner-up (£50) | Jay Friedenberg, U.S.A. | sunset waves glitter into pointillist light |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Olive Malcolm, England | tapering fingers you stroke ivory keys with moonlight |
| Ravi Kiran, India | scented candle the way she speaks without words | |
| Sarah Edwards, Wales | dripping leaves dank air dark mind | |
| Judge Skanne’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | John Barlow, England | a sedge warbler’s mimicry wind-torn clouds |
| Runner-up (£50) | Frank Hooven, U.S.A. | clearing skies wind ruffles the water in a little red wagon |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Sharon Martina, U.S.A. | dusting of snow the soft rhetoric of a fairy tale |
| Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands | winter sun more shadow than tree | |
| John Barlow, England | dipper song the smoothness of stones at rest in the beck |
BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2022
| Judges | Joanna Ashwell Kelly Moyer | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 437 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 33:2 (May 2023) | |
| Judge Ashwell’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Sam Morris, England | on the wing the silent flight of the nightjar |
| Runner-up (£50) | Richard L. Matta, U.S.A. | prayer garden how a mourning cloak’s wings color transition |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Joshua St. Claire, U.S.A. | the bend of a broken fairy ring arcus cloud |
| Rebecca Lilly, U.S.A. | what I know of myself mostly in metaphor rivershore, pokeweed | |
| David Terelinck, Australia | dingo moon the call and echo of a barking owl | |
| Judge Moyer’s selections | ||
| Winner (£125) | Julie Bloss Kelsey, U.S.A. | half-dressed at the bedroom window a red maple |
| Runner-up (£50) | Debbie Strange, Canada | skinny-dipping the moon snail’s umbilicus |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Benedict Grant, Canada | a trickle of sand from a fold in the map summer fling |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | beach stones in both pockets kite weather | |
| John Barlow, England | hymns hanging in the valley’s mist abandoned chapel |
BHS David Cobb Haiku Awards 2021
| Judges | Judy Kendall Ron C. Moss | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 462 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 32:2 (May 2022) | |
| Judge Kendall’s selections | ||
| Winner | Simon Chard, Scotland | with me all day the green-veined white |
| Runner-up | Joanna Ashwell, England | snow hare slipping through our memories |
| Honourable Mentions (2) | Simon Chard, Scotland | fieldfares I clamber over into winter |
| Greg Schwartz, U.S.A. | sunset— a toddler scatters the gulls | |
| Judge Moss’s selections | ||
| Winner | Frank Hooven, U.S.A. | longest night the paperwhite bends through its scent |
| Runner-up | Joanna Ashwell, England | nightfall the scrape of boots the chime of stars |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Clare McCotter, Northern Ireland | white frost in the moonlight the silence of ferns |
| Joan Chaput, U.S.A. | the smell of wood shavings honing the blades | |
| Clare McCotter, Northern Ireland | mizzle on the old mare’s back thin winter moon |
BHS Haiku Awards / David Cobb Haiku Awards 2020
The BHS Haiku Awards were renamed in honor of David Cobb, founder and president of the Society, who died in 2020. In the same year, to mark the society’s 25th anniversary, along with the money award and certificates, all winners, runners-up, and commendation-winning poets received books from the BHS.
| Judges | Sandra Simpson Charles Trumbull | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 587 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 31:2 (May 2021) | |
| Judge Simpson’s selections | ||
| Winner | Joanna Ashwell, England | bluebells carrying the drift of rain into dusk |
| Runner-up | Tony Williams, Scotland | winter sun the moss not holding my handprint |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Richard Tindall, England | washes of twilight in my paint box wells— a fox’s triple bark |
| Bill Cooper, U.S.A. | teen dance a wildfire seven percent contained | |
| Ron C. Moss, Australia | first hailstones a farrier hammers the darkness | |
| JudgeTrumbull’s selections | ||
| Winner | Earl R. Keener, U.S.A. | wind in the tamaracks the sound of a screen door sixty years past |
| Runner-up | Roland Packer, Canada | thumbnails of their faces potter’s field |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Michele Root-Bernstein, U.S.A. | winter melancholy the rhythmic slosh of a washing machine |
| Owen Bullock, Australia | slow night at the kebab shop they watch us eat | |
| Benedict Grant, Canada | family plot the fog thickens |
BHS Haiku Awards 2019–Haiku Section
| Judges | Anna Maris David Lanoue | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 477 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 30:2 (May 2020) | |
| Judge Maris’s selections | ||
| Winner | Richard Tindall, England | remembering Dad I send my skimmer-stone into Doggerland |
| Runner-up | David Jacobs, England | making the snow globe snow the child within |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | John Barlow, England | river dusk on his rock the dipper still not still |
| John Barlow, England | all day rain carving its way through the valley | |
| Simon Hanson, Australia | moon and mist each becoming a little of the other | |
| Judge Lanoue’s selections | ||
| Winner | D W Brydon, Scotland | taxi horn a cat-shadow leaps into its echo |
| Runner-up | Tom Bierovic, U.S.A. | melting icicle … a sparrow showers drip by drip |
| Honourable Mentions (3) | Clare McCotter, Northern Ireland | a heron moving silently at the shrine her lips |
| Mark Powderhill, England | spring morning rain bus drivers from opposite directions salute | |
| Tom Bierovic, U.S.A. | cherry blossoms a girl wears lipstick for the first time |
BHS Haiku Awards 2018—Haiku Section
| Judges | Claire Everett Scott Mason | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 437 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 29:2 (May 2019) | |
| Judge Everett’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | John Barlow, England | a whitethroat launches into songflight … hawthorn in bud |
| Runner-up (£50) | Martha Magenta, England | earthshine … the stir of life in a siskin’s egg |
| Commended | James Connolly, United Kingdom | myself in another’s hands … spring snow |
| John Barlow, England | the day’s warmth still in his stone … steeple swifts | |
| John Barlow, England | calls of curlews each further hill a paler blue | |
| Judge Mason’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Alan Summers, England | eye of the song a blackbird touching the void |
| Runner-up (£50) | Julie Warther, U.S.A. | biking downhill an Amish girl with bonnet straps clenched in her teeth |
| Honorable Mentions (3) | Earl Keener, U.S.A. | in and out of moonlight almost a fox |
| Alan Summers, England | each window its own night train | |
| Frank Dietrich, Germany | among the rubble a woman is carrying her face in her hands |
BHS Haiku Awards 2017—Haiku Section
| Judges | Vanessa Proctor Robert Moyer | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 549 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 28:2 (May 2018)3 | |
| Judge Proctor’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Clare McCotter, Northern Ireland | late evening an old mare’s tail striking dandelion clocks |
| Runner-up | Jay Friedenberg, U.S.A. | firefly flashes the world beyond Boolean logic |
| Honourable Mention (3) | Donald Skrivseth, U.S.A. | ashes sealed and buried a meadowlark sings to the sunrise |
| Kath Abela Wilson, U.S.A. | bronze heron how the lotus leaf grows into its mouth | |
| Marietta McGregor, Australia | cycle paint shop on the touch-up man’s hands every kid’s bike | |
| Judge Moyer’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Chen-ou Liu, Canada | job hunting a curl of birch bark edged with sunlight |
| Runner-up (£50) | David Jacobs, England | freezing moor crows spread out across the search area |
| Honourable Mention (3) | Debbie Strange, Canada | rimed fence the cattle and wind change direction |
| Cynthia Rowe, Australia | fenlands the farmer’s toes leaking mud | |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | leaving no trace on the snow his absent gaze |
BHS Haiku Awards 2016—Haiku Section
| Judges | David Jacobs Andrew Shimield | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | Iliyana Stoyanova | |
| Number of entries | 436 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 27:2 (May 2017) | |
| Judge Jacobs’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Robert Kingston, England | not yet spring the neighbour’s ball still in the garden |
| Runner-up | John Barlow, England | wheat field to wheat field the streak of a fox |
| Honorable Mention (8) | Semih Özmeriç, Turkey | starry night a few light years away my dog is still alive |
| Jay Friedenberg, U.S.A. | costume party the child without a mask makes a face. | |
| Debbie Strange, Canada | harsh winter squirrels gnaw the tines of shed antlers | |
| Mercy Ikuri, Kenya | smartphone screen the setting sun swiped away | |
| Graham Duff, England | a line of cyclists becomes the last row Flanders fields | |
| Marietta McGregor, Australia | rain holding off the split gunny sack leaks mice | |
| Cynthia Rowe, Australia | missing child the distinctive cry of a fan-tailed pigeon | |
| Chris Bays , U.S.A. | casket catalogue … the undertaker tells us to take our time | |
| Judge Shimield’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | starlight harboured in shells washed ashore |
| Runner-up (£50) | Claire Everett, England | Silent Night … in a storefront window Aleppo on mute |
BHS Haiku Awards 2015—Haiku Section
| Judges | David Bingham Kate B Hall | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 378 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 26:2 (May 2016) | |
| Judge Bingham’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Matt Morden, Wales | prostate exam— the consultant’s finger touches a nerve |
| Runner-up (£50) | John Barlow, England | out of a tangle of winter honeysuckle the song of a wren |
| Judge Hall’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | lonely walk the sudden urge to throw a stick |
| Runner-up (£50) | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | enough said her teaspoon stirs the rest |
BHS Haiku Awards 2014—Haiku Section
| Judges | Kim Richardson Leo Lavery | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 374 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 25:2 (May 2015) | |
| Judge Richardson’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | paul m., U.S.A. | a paperclip holding the file together winter hospi |
| Runner-up (£50) | Sheila Wild, England | the hind so silent that when she startles, you hear the cold sound of frost |
| Selections from shortlist (3) | Ernest J Berry, New Zealand | rusty chain nailed to the gate eight dogs ago |
| John Barlow, England | after the sparrowhawk the silence of the wind | |
| Tom Cunliffe, England | operating theatre the sound the scalpel makes | |
| Judge Lavery’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Edward Beach, England | old pond … the haiku writer wades in |
| Runner-up (£50) | Tom Cunliffe, England | it started with cracks first the flowers then the pillow |
BHS Haiku Awards 2013—Haiku Section
| Judges | Diana Webb Phillip Murrell | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 24:2 (May 2014) | |
| Judge Webb’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Doreen King, England | autumn twilight reaching for the paper boat floating away |
| Second Prize (£50) | Sheila Barksdale, U.S.A. | school trip rumours of a dormouse in the samurai’s mask |
| Judge Murrell’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Andrew Smith, England | Now swept away: our favourite beach, your final days |
| Runner-up (£50) | Ernest J Berry, New Zealand | storm warning the muffled call of longshoremen |
BHS Haiku Awards 2012—Haiku Section
| Judges | Alison Williams Michael Dylan Welch | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 437 by poets from 14 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 23:2 (May 2013) | |
| Judge Williams’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Roland Packer, Canada | moonrise a commuter train without a soul |
| Runner-up (£50) | paul m., USA | December dusk my fingerprints on everything |
| Judge Welch’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Hamish Ironside, England | shadows under water my daughter asks me how to wish |
| 2nd Place (£50) | Roland Packer, Canada | moonrise a commuter train without a soul |
BHS Haiku Awards 2011—Haiku Section
| Judges | Claire McCotter Dee Evetts | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 528 by 113 poets from 12 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 22:2 (May 2012) | |
| Judge McCotter’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | David Jacobs, England | Somalia famine a child camps inside its father |
| 2nd Place (£50) | Doreen King, England | shattered stars in a small icy pond the bitterest night |
| Judge Evetts’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Graham Duff, England | winter garden he describes a parabola in space |
| 2nd Place (£50) | Earl R. Keener, U.S.A. | a murmur in the weathervane –– cotyledons |
BHS Haiku Awards 2010—Haiku Section
| Judges | Dee Evetts Claire McCotter | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | Almost 500 from poets in 14 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 21:2 (June 2011) | |
| Judge Evetts’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | snowbound the kaleidoscope stuck |
| 2nd Place (£50) | Ernest J Berry, New Zealand | clouded moon the sound of her slip hitting the floor |
| Judge McCotter’s selection | ||
| Winner (£125) | Doreen King, England | lovers tiff … the moon hauled from the well yet still it returns |
| 2nd Place (£50) | John Barlow, England | pink river a heron pulls away to the stars |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2009
| Judges | James W Hackett Dee Evetts | |
| BHS Awards Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | Fewer than 510 from 13 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 20:2 (June 2010) | |
| Judge Hackett’s selection | ||
| Winner (£70) | Claire Knight, England | in the silence before the dreaming the warmth of a paw on my hand |
| “A close second” | Kathy Lippard Cobb, U.S.A. | no sign of puppy in the old dog’s eyes deep winter |
| Highly Commended (3, in no particular order) | Richard Tindall, England | crossing the pause in the shouting the cat takes my side |
| Graham Duff, England | her book closed, she listens— the geese are returning | |
| Keith Heiberg, U.S.A. | mayflies— writing their passion on the stream | |
| Judge Evetts’s selection | ||
| Winner (£70) | Malcolm Williams, Wales | bee on a black key— I halt the metronome |
| Highly Commended (4, in no particular order) | Roland Packer, Canada | neon buzz of the allnight crossroad |
| John Bird, Australia | cemetery kiosk … attending the taste of peppermint tea | |
| paul m., U.S.A. | leaf storm she says something I don’t catch | |
| Michael Fessler, Japan | the heat … my wife down there lost in lotuses |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2008
| Judges | James W Hackett and David Cobb; shortlist of 73 haiku selected by Annie Bachini and Jon Iddon | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 510 from poets in 13 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 19:3 (September 2009) (corrected from issue 19:2) | |
| Judge Cobb’s selections | ||
| Winner (£70) | Malcolm Williams, United Kingdom | estuary fog a bell boomerangs from shore to shore |
| Highly Commended (4) | Eduard Țară, Romania | Melting snowflakes— the night watchman remains alone |
| Eduard Țară, Romania | Still waiting for the hungry whales myriads of stars | |
| Marjorie Buettner, U.S.A. | folding clothes I am here not there winter’s first rain | |
| John Barlow, United Kingdom | now he’s here the coarse hair of the horse … summered grasses | |
| Judge Hackett’s selections | ||
| Winner (£70) | Linda Jeannette Ward, U.S.A. | asparagus bed— I compost ashes from a decade of poems |
| Highly Commended (3) | John Barlow, United Kingdom | no longer knowing every bend in the road … last quarter moon |
| Helen Buckingham, United Kingdom | beating the rain Dad lingers to smell the pinks | |
| Natalia L. Rudychev (Liao), U.S.A. | a tide line the gull shifts between its reflection and shadow |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2007
| Judges | James W Hackett and David Cobb | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 479 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 18:2 (June 2008) | |
| Judge Hackett’s selection | ||
| Winner (£70) | an’ya, U.S.A. | polarized light the mixed melodies of twilight birds |
| Highly Commended (7, in no particular order) | John Barlow, England | midges twist in and out of sunlight the bittern’s neck |
| Martin Lucas, England | sunrise— a goose on the river calling to geese in the sky | |
| Vin Godier, Wales | Summer at last— cloud watching on my back | |
| Trevor Christie, England | memorial— from her favourite vase the smell of fresh flowers | |
| André Surridge, New Zealand | her fingertip follows the name of the brother who didn’t return | |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | Normandy sunset— A steeple quivers in the red-tinged bay | |
| Tony A. Thompson, U.S.A. | old logging camp wagon tracks disappear into wildflowers | |
| Judge Cobb’s selection | ||
| Winner | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | car door clunk a shell of fresh snow falls utterly away |
| Highly Commended (3, in no particular order) | Scott Mason, U.S.A. | backyard reverie the expanding cosmos of watermelon seeds |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | windfall apples the softness of the pony’s mouth | |
| hanabi, U.S.A. | my late dad’s effects— the startle when i find his heavy belt | |
| Commended (4) | Kala Ramesh, India | howling wind— an autumn note within the bamboo flute |
| Malcolm Williams, England | Arctic meltwater— the white whales moulting in harmony | |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | big city park passersby queuing to nose a lilac | |
| Ernest J Berry, New Zealand | family bible a wisp of my baby hair in Revelation |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2006
| Judges | James W Hackett and David Cobb | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 488 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 17:2 (June 2007) | |
| Judge Hackett’s selection | ||
| Winner (£70) | Malcolm Williams, Scotland | derelict airfield forget-me-nots in the cracked concrete |
| Highly Commended (3) | Katrina Shepherd, Scotland | garden shed a packet of carnations he would have planted |
| Tony A. Thompson, U.S.A. | end of autumn finding only the antlers of the old buck | |
| Bruce Ross, U.S.A. | quiet inlet a great blue heron stilled on its reflection | |
| Commended (3) | Doris Heitmeyer, U.S.A. | construction site somewhere among the girders wind chimes |
| Vanessa Proctor, Australia | deepening dusk through the scent of burning leaves the caw of a crow | |
| Mara Mills, U.S.A. | far from shore a bee lands on the sail last summer day | |
| Judge Cobb’s selection | ||
| Winner (£70) | Doris Heitmeyer, U.S.A. | scudding ahead of me with the autumn leaves my hat |
| Highly Commended (3) | Malcolm Williams, U.K. | moonlit church vestry a hint of incense in the flower vase |
| Ken Cockburn, Scotland | December the grey pebble holds open a cookery book | |
| John Barlow, England | trout splash the river returns to blackness | |
| Commended (3) | Doris Heitmeyer, U.S.A. | construction site somewhere among the girders wind chimes |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | mountain summit the wind I struggled against dries my brow | |
| John Barlow, England | into the pinks on the washing line— fireweed seeds |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 2005
| Judge | James W Hackett; Martin Lucas and Matthew Paul, shortlist selectors | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 16:2 (June 2006) | |
| Winners (2; £70 each) | John Bird, Australia | winter festival a village stray settles at the busker’s feet |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | deep mourning deeper still in the forest dogwood in bloom | |
| Highly Commended (6) | Trevor Christie, United Kingdom | news of a friend’s death— a sharp wind blows on shore and the mist rolls in |
| Michael Fessler, Japan | bounce bounce bounce over the winter fairway a couple of crows | |
| John Parsons, United Kingdom | glove compartment acorns picked up at mother’s funeral | |
| Sheila K. Barksdale, U.S.A. | turn of the tide for a while, a starfish clasping both sea and shore | |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | returning sun — the glitter of snow where I sowed my father’s ashes | |
| Helen Buckingham, United Kingdom | remembrance … two seagulls arc together wheel apart |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award 2004
| Judge | James W Hackett; Martin Lucas and Matthew Paul, shortlist selectors | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 15:2 (June 2005) | |
| Winner | Mike Howell, U.S.A. | in tonight’s woods a traveller at ease the cracking buds |
| Highly Commended (5) | Jill Bennett, Scotland | dusk … and the blackbird’s song skips between thoughts |
| R M Atkinson, Scotland | late autumn hedgerow— the tastiest blackberry beyond reach | |
| Ian Daw, England | honeysuckle a bundle of sticks under the snow | |
| Tamsin Reeves, England | nettles hide faded sweet wrappers— a rusty swing creaks | |
| Marjorie Buettner, U.S.A. | unravelling back to the lost stitch— autumn loneliness |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2003
| Judge | James W Hackett; Martin Lucas and Matthew Paul, shortlist selectors | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | Over 400 by 94 poets from 13 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 14:2 (June 2004) | |
| Winners (2; £70 each) | Beverly George, Australia | lengthening shadow— above her eggs the hen’s heart beats against my arm |
| Ross Figgins, U.S.A. | night and the river dark and empty row boats full of mist | |
| Highly Commended (4) | Marjorie Buettner, U.S.A. | moonless night I borrow the light of snow |
| Ernest J Berry, Neew Zealand | plum blossoms lovers looking everywhere at each other | |
| Trevor Christie, England | over the mourners a flock of geese are calling on their journey north | |
| Jim Kacian, U.S.A. | spring sunshine an old person now lives in my body |
BHS James W Hackett International Award 2002
| Judge | James W Hackett; Martin Lucas and Matthew Paul, shortlist selectors | |
| Administrator | David Steele | |
| Number of entries | 445 by 96 poets from 15 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 13:2 (June 2003) | |
| Winner | Kathy Lippard Cobb, U.S.A. | scattering at sea … the great blue heron glides through him |
| Highly Commended (4) in alphabetical order | Marianne Bluger, Canada | in a pause when the wind dies the coo of a dove |
| Marian Olson, U.S.A. | beyond illusion the stone worn smooth in the stream | |
| Fred Schofield, England | spring sun the cat visits the greenhouse through a broken pane | |
| Alison Williams, England | the evening sky … I leave the curtains open a while longer |
12th James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 2001
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Matthew Paul | |
| Number of entries | 597 by 121 poets from 19 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 12:2 (June 2002) | |
| Winners (2 of equal merit; £70 each) | Jim Kacian, U.S.A. | harvest dusk— sitting in the wheelbarrow with the potatoes |
| Kathy Lippard Cobb, U.S.A. | untended garden— the old man’s unsteady hand adds red to the rose | |
| Highly Commended (7 of equal merit) | Penelope Davis Greenwell, U.S.A. | Daybreak— a cow steps away from the fog. |
| Vanessa Proctor, Australia | frosty night from a side alley the click of high heels | |
| John Bird, Australia | cold rain on the pet shop window a pup’s pink tongue | |
| Billie Wilson, U.S.A. | no wind tonight across the reach of prairie all those stars | |
| Mark Brooks, U.S.A. | night drizzle one of the porch lizards finds a niche | |
| Garry Gay, U.S.A. | Autumn weariness, the old cat never comes home | |
| Janeth H. Ewald, U.S.A. | this hoarfrost morning suddenly scent of summer grass —the green tatami |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 2000
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Matthew Paul | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 11:2 (June 2001) | |
| Winners (2 of equal merit; £70 each) | David Rollins, England | between the tides getting to know it again the winter beach |
| an’ya, U.S.A. | After its first flight the young gerfalcon’s talons tighter on my glove | |
| Highly Commended (8 of equal merit) | Winona Baker, Canada | clearing the brush pile— suddenly garter snakes in all directions |
| Jonathan Buckley, England | after zazen quietly unpicking the knots in my trousers cord | |
| D. Claire Gallagher, U.S.A. | a hairline crack in the vase of daylilies— water changing shape | |
| Stefan G. Theodorou, U.S.A. | A deer’s skeleton whitened by rains— violets between ribs | |
| John Barlow, England | train delays for the fifth day now the dead fieldmouse | |
| Marjorie Buettner, U.S.A. | perfect abandon wrapped around a mailbox post wild morning glories | |
| Grace Mathew, Japan | bedridden child gazing at the snow on his friend’s mitten | |
| Alison Williams, England | oak leaves caught in a chain-link fence— the morning chill |
BHS James W Hackett International Awards 1999
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Martin Lucas | |
| Number of entries | 418 | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 10:1 (March 2000) | |
| Winners (2 of equal merit; £70 each) | D. Claire Gallagher, U.S.A. | the closer we get losing my friend’s heart to heart to the waterfall |
| Robert Major, U.S.A. | Wakened by birdsong; drifting from one world of dreams into another | |
| Highly Commended (6 of equal merit) | Penelope Greenwell, U.S.A. | Only cobwebs between the branches— evening chill |
| Anto Gardaš, Croatia | A tiny wren flying in the rhythm of the wind. | |
| Višnja McMaster, Croatia | an old couple their only conversation in holding hands | |
| Helen Robinson, England | autumn sunshine the frail old cat daring to sit outside | |
| D. Claire Gallagher, U.S.A. | Indian summer— cairns of weathered granite mark the mountain trail | |
| H.F. Noyes, Greece | autumn sunset— an almost tastable hue in the rhubarb leaves |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Awards 1998
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Martin Lucas | |
| Number of entries | 760 by 167 poets; shortlist of 95 haiku | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 9:2 (June 1999) | |
| Winners (3 of equal merit; £70 each) | Frances Mary Bishop, Canada | Early spring thaw footprints of our dog erased last walk in winter |
| Carol Dagenhardt, U.S.A. | city park in the butterfly garden discarded syringes | |
| Sheila M. Windsor, England | calling each other the free owl and captive unable to sleep | |
| Highly Commended (6 of equal merit) | Giovanni Malito, Ireland | on a park bench two friends sharing a silence |
| Robert Alcock, England | under a wall’s lip along a busy road— a row of parked snails | |
| Grace Mathew, U.S.A. | freezing winter night homeless man wrapping his scarf gently round his dog | |
| Helen Robinson, England | each day new flowers on the thrown away stem chicory stems | |
| Linda Jeannette Ward, U.S.A. | smouldering wax in the empty chapel a kneeling pad creaks | |
| Doris Heitmeyer, U.S.A. | drinking from a pothole the pigeon steps aside for a taxi |
BHS James W Hackett International Haiku Award, 1997
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Richard Goring | |
| Number of entries | 511 by 111 poets | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 8:1 (February 1998) | |
| Winners (3 of equal merit; £70 each) | Donna Claire Gallagher, U.S.A. | Clipping spent asters— she zips the frayed anorak he wore last autumn |
| Jan van der Pol, Netherlands | Looking together across the frozen lake the heron and I | |
| John Shimmin, Wales | spring meltwater running over sunlit stones frenzied dippers | |
| Highly Commended (6 of equal merit) | Mark Alan Osterhaus, U.S.A. | abandoned farm— the scent of sweet grass rising through the falling porch |
| Brian Cater, England | Faded deckchair overgrown with bramble facing the sunset | |
| F M Black, U.S.A. | walking on the beach remembering my mother— picking out seashells | |
| J.R. Wilson, Northern Ireland | From the long grass at the garden’s end, a plank of the old seesaw slants | |
| Ruth Robinson, England | the kitten watches the ripple of wind and sun on the summer grass | |
| Dragan J. Ristić, Yugoslavia | Bouquet of lilies— in a cellophane prison a wandering bee |
BHS James W Hackett Awards 1996
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Administrator | Richard Goring | |
| Number of entries | 866 by 188 poets; shortlist of 90 haiku | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 7:1 (February 1997) | |
| Winners (3; £70 each) | F M Black, U.S.A. | my ailing father, listening to the crickets; last day of August |
| Lee Gurga, U.S.A. | fluttering madly— butterfly in the slipstream of a passing freight | |
| Elizabeth Warren, Canada | in the lush garden a wasp and I negotiate over a drink | |
| Highly Commended (5, unranked) | Haf Davies, England | In the shed amongst the cobwebs the old dog’s bowl |
| Katherine Gallagher, England | Out of the forest the blue edge of the asphalt —a mopoke calling | |
| John Shimmin, Wales | early morning frost mingling with the grey mist breath from the cattle | |
| Brian Cater, England | Un-cut meadow every step stirring butterfly clouds | |
| Kohjin Sakamoto, Japan | on the other side of the pane, a frozen moth; my palm, on this side |
BHS James W Hackett Awards 1995
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Number of entries | 460 from 95 poets | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 6:2 (May 1996) | |
| Winners (2; £100 each) | Caroline Gourlay, Wales | in the small gap between quivering nettles— a rabbit’s still eye |
| L A Davidson, U.S.A. | between fishing rods on the seawall a heron stalks the bait pail | |
| Highly Commended (4) | Tomislav Maretić, Croatia | In front of an inn the cows in the truck waiting for the driver’s drink |
| H F Noyes, Greece | breeze sways the rushes— in a tail-switching silence donkies softly graze | |
| L A Davidson, U.S.A. | from a garbage bag a disheveled man picks out the least wilted rose | |
| John Shimmin, Wales | Invading the quay where battleships used to berth— red valerian |
BHS James W Hackett Awards 1994
| Judge | James W Hackett Richard Goring, pre-selector | |
| Number of entries | 550 from 12 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 5:2 (May 1995) | |
| Winner | Alan Maley, Singapore | When the storm has passed We buy rain-soaked rambutans, Full of drowning ants |
| Highly Commended (5) | Bruce Leeming, Surrey, England | Sleek Islay chough carefully turning over cowpats for maggots |
| Robert Major, Washington, U.S.A. | An armload of clothes, line-dried in the sun and wind … Nuzzling its fragrance | |
| George Marsh, Hampshire, England | coming from her house he stops to stroke the cherry blossom | |
| Martin Lucas, London, England | on top of a wall with barbed wire and broken glass— ragwort flowers | |
| Kohjin Sakamoto, Kyoto, Japan | autumn night— breathing to the same pulse the sleeping dog and I |
BHS James W Hackett Awards 1993
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 4:1 (February 1994) | |
| Winner (£60) | Lesley Lendrum, Scotland | A broken nutshell and a twisted root remain where the hazel grew. |
| Highly Commended (6) | Makoto Tamaki, Andorra / Okinawa | Down in the meadow a horse keeps nodding his head under the full moon |
| Ken Jones, Wales | Disappearing in front disappearing behind the forest path unwinds me | |
| Ruth Robinson, England | above the tree-line silence—only the whisper of the chair-lift wheel | |
| Nokuyo Nagayama, Japan | All the autumn dusk except the sun-lit summit of the highest hill | |
| Susan Rowley, England | moon reflection forming and reforming between drops | |
| Marijan Čekolj, Croatia | Hanging on long after the cart the scent of hay |
BHS James W Hackett Awards 1992
| Judge | James W Hackett, Judge; A BHS Committee prepared a shortlist of 39 haiku | |
| Number of entries | 538 from 107 persons in 10 countries | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 3:1 (January 1993) | |
| Winner (£60) | Chris Mulhern, Oviedo, Spain | forgotten water-melon smaller than the rest rotting on its stalk |
| Commended (4) | Winona Baker, Canada | in the stubble a ball of blue wool unwinds in the wind |
| Tomislav Maretić, Croatia | Cloudy sky. Every sunflower looking in another direction | |
| Ruth Robinson, England | a splashed frog leaps ahead of my watering can | |
| Patricia Neubauer, U.S.A. | deep autumn … the pool in the forest gathering shadows |
BHS James W Hackett Haiku Awards 1991
| Judge | James W Hackett | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Contest results reported | Blithe Spirit 2:1 (January 1992) | |
| Winner | Brian Wells, England | Almost unnoticed the dying bee on the path scatters its pollen |
| Honourable Mention (4) | Dee Evetts, England | Morning sneeze— the guitar in the corner resonates |
| Patricia Neubauer, U.S.A. | Chimney swept— on the hearth small white bones mixed with soot | |
| Richard Goring, England | Spring night rain— a snail’s crunching under foot | |
| Wilma Erwin, U.S.A. | Autumn evening the silence of the canyon reaches the stars |
Sources / Further Reading
- BHS Awards (tables), British Haiku Society website: http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/bhsawards/
- ”BHS Awards: Past Winners of the James W Hackett Award 2002–2009. ”British Haiku Society website: http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/past-winners-james-w-hackett-award-2002-2009/.
- ”The British Haiku Society Archive,“ British Haiku Society website: https://thebhsarchive.co.uk. This project will include “a full run of Blithe Spirit, the society’s journal, as well as all of the yearly members‘ anthologies. The first ten years of the journal are now available on this website.”