European Kukai (2013–2023)

The European Quarterly Kukai, an online kukai (a gathering of poets to compose haiku and vote for their favorites), was inaugurated in March 2013, the project of Polish haiku poets Krzysztof Kokot and Robert Kania. Until 2018 each of the quarterly kukai was keyed to one of the four seasons, then the competitions were made annual and renamed the European Kukai. In its later years the kukai attracted as many as 260 entries from poets in up to 50 countries. The kukai ran for 25 editions, last posting results in March 2023.

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General Information

On the model of the Shiki Internet Haiku Salon, the first online kukai (a gathering of poets to compose haiku and vote for their favorites), the European Quarterly Kukai, was inaugurated in March 2013. It was the project of prominent Polish haiku poets Krzysztof Kokot and Robert Kania. Until 2018 the runnings of the kukai were quarterly, keyed to the four seasons; thereafter they were held annually and renamed the European Kukai. In its later years the kukai attracted as many as 260 haiku from poets in 40–50 countries. The kukai ran for 25 editions, last posting results in March 2023.¹

The regulations and procedures of the European Kukai were as follows:

Participation: The kukai was open to everyone.

Submission: Poets were invited to submit one haiku in English not previously published anywhere. There were no restrictions as to style or format, but most of the kukai had a set topic.

Submission window: Typically one week at the beginning of the season or the year of the kukai.

Voting period: Typically one week following the end of the submission period.

The kukai ballot—all the submitted haiku without the poets’ names or other identifying information was compiled by the contest coordinators

Voting procedure: All poets entering the competition were expected to choose their favorite three haiku and assign 3 points to their #1 choice, 2 points for #2, and 1 point for #3. Entrants were not to vote for their own haiku. Selections were emailed to the kukai coordinators, Krzysztof Kokot and Robert Kania, who tallied the votes and prepared the results.

Results of the competition were announced about a week after the close of the voting period and posted on the European Kukai website. All results, including details of the nationalities of the poets involved and the number of votes each haiku received, have been archived on the website.

Prizes: E-diplomas were awarded to First-, Second-, and Third-Place winners.

Beginning in 2018 the European Quarterly Kukai was changed from running quarterly to annual and renamed the European Kukai.

The tables below present the top ten placing authors and their haiku. A full tally of all participants, their point counts, and their entries may be accessed via the European Kukai website.

25th European Kukai, 2023

Kukai topic	None	
Number of participants	242 from 50 countries	
Results posted	March 21, 2023	
First Place 49 points	Daniela Misso, Italy	orphanage  at the side of the road forget-me-nots
Second Place 38 points	Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria	a child raises his hand to catch it— nightingale’s song
Third Place 33 points	Daniel Birnbaum, France	the bird on the fence knowing nothing about fences
Fourth Place (2) 28 points	Stefanie Bucifal, Germany	grassland the wind has no home
	Florin Golban, Romania	mandala— the spider designs a new world
Fifth Place 26 points	Kashinath Karmakar, India	forget-me-nots . . what if tomorrow starts without me
Sixth Place 25 points	Maria Teresa Sisti, Italy	broken rice bowl— I never stopped to be a daughter
Seventh Place 24 points	Maria Teresa Piras, Italy	long illness— the seasons go by at her window
Eighth Place 23 points	Rita Odeh, Palestine	Gaza morning— perching on the barbed wire, a migratory bird
Ninth Place 22 points	Jon Vassbotn, Norway	train slumber every second station a dream
Tenth Place 21 points	Nikolay Grankin,  Russia	clear morning a little girl talking to a flower

24th European Kukai, 2021

Kukai topic	None	
Number of participants	262 from 43 countries	
Results posted	July 10, 2021	
First Place 31 points	Julia Wakefield, Australia	a cloudless day gulls stitch the cliff edge to the ocean
Second Place (2) 30 points	Zoran Doderović,  Serbia	morning dew my old shoes shine like new
	Rita Odeh,  Israel	Gaza’s sky— falling into the rising smoke, the setting sun
Third Place 29 points	Eleonore Nickolay,  France	first day on the beach the child is digging a hole for the ocean
Fourth Place 28 points	Mihai Moldoveanu (Mirco), Romania	broken hourglass— a handful of sand in the wind
Fifth Place 27 points	Surashree Joshi,  India	winter twilight … the steam no longer rises from my dad’s cup
Sixth Place 25 points	Lyudmila Hristova,  Bulgaria	an abandoned home the garden is blue with forget-me-nots
Seventh Place 23 points	Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland	storm the sky gives back the borrowed sea
Eighth Place (3) 22 points	Dennys Cambarau,  Italy	without the moon— just a firefly to make me light
	Steliana Voicu,  Romania	summer clouds— once in a while the moon takes off its mask
	Emin Masimli,  Azerbaijan	waiting for the bus my growing shadow swallows the daffodils
Ninth Place (4) 21 points	Damir Damir,  Montenegro	after the funeral … stars, yet not enough for a constellation
	Radostina Dragostinova,  Bulgaria	harvest moon in the straw bowl the song of a cricket
	Vibeke Laier,  Denmark	wings of a butterfly how many ways to touch a poppy’s heart
	Bo Jaroszek,  Poland	tears in mine trust in my dog’s eyes the last injection
Tenth Place 20 points	Tomislav Sjekloća,  Montenegro	first millipede my kid with a 1000 whys

23rd European Kukai, 2020

Kukai topic	None	
Number of participants	259 from 48 countries	
Results posted	July 13, 2020	
First Place 39 points	Vincenzo Adamo, Italy	refugee camp only the swallows have a home
Second Place 35 points	Eleonore Nickolay, France	photo album the hugs from last year
Third Place 29 points	Pere Risteski,  North Macedonia	full moon 1/2 for you 1/2 for me
Fourth Place 28 points	Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro	stepped on snail— a little girl learns grief
Fifth Place 27 points	Radka Mindova, Bulgaria	spring rains …. under the children’s swing grass grows
Sixth Place (2) 25 points	Roberta Beary, Ireland	plague lockdown the silence of paper cranes
	Stefanie Bucifal, Germany	instant meal the taste of solitude
Seventh Place (2) 23 points	Tom Bierovic, U.S.A.	face mask noticing the wrinkles around her eyes
	Scott Wiggerman, U.S.A.	the distance we have weathered driftwood
Eighth Place 22 points	Bernard Gieske, U.S.A.	in the garden between each plant a measured distance
Ninth Place 20 points	Viktoriya Marinova, Bulgaria	isolation i’m looking for people with the telescope
Tenth Place 19 points	Stjepan Rožić, Croatia	ride by the corn field the rows open and close

22nd European Kukai, 2019

Kukai topic	“Family”	
Number of participants	189 from 44 countries	
Results posted	December 1, 2019	
First Place 44 points	Radka Mindova, Bulgaria	thrown album the homeless man acquires a family
Second Place 39 points	Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania	makeup lessons— three generations same mirror
Third Place 30 points	Sudebi Singha, India	family tree the child draws an extra branch for surrogate mom
Fourth Place 29 points	Ed Bremson, U.S.A.	family Christmas … gathered around the table all the empty chairs
Fifth Place (2) 26 points	Eleonore Nickolay, France	Mother’s Day the childless friend changes the subject
	Nazarena Rampini, Italy	in a cloud my son’s face— autumn rain
Sixth Place (3) 20 points	Ana Drobot, Romania	family reunion— I share my room with a chrysanthemum
	Mark Gilfillan, United Kingdom	doing her best  to outwit her shadow the five year old
	Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro	family dinner— chewing up the awkward silence
Seventh Place (3) 19 points	Dan Iulian, Romania	cherry blossoms— my child asks what is pink
	Vinay Leo R., India	father’s chemo— in the bald man’s pocket an old comb
	Carmela Marino, Italy	faded photo— grandpa’s cherry tree no longer shades
Eighth Place 18 points	Tim Gardiner, United Kingdom	the small hill we couldn’t reach … father’s illness
Ninth Place (2) 17 points	Glauco Saba, Luxembourg	old pendulum clock— caught in a spider net grandpa’s fairy tales
	Boris Nazansky, Croatia	grandpa’s scarf long as the winters were years ago
Tenth Place (3) 16 points	Donald McLeod, U.S.A.	gazing at the stream …  grandfather watches his shadow flow into the world
	Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo, Netherlands	cicadas song … this place that time my mother’s voice
	Nadejda Kostadinova, Bulgaria	autumn sun watching her small feet rushing to school

Kukai topic	None	
Number of participants	192 from 44 countries	
Results posted	December 31, 2018	
First Place 38 points	Viktoriya Marinova, Pleven, Bulgaria	lonely evening my shadow on а table for two
Second Place (2) 28 points	Rosa Clement,  Manaus, Brazil	adopted cat we build love from scratch
	Susanne Reichard, New York, U.S.A.	drought— the deep cracks  in our shadow
Third Place 26 points	Rachel Sutcliffe,  United Kingdom	alone on the path even my shadow walks ahead
Fourth Place (2) 24 points	Christiane Ranieri, Wittenheim, France	Refugee camp a kite escapes from the child’s hand
	Tomislav Sjekloća, Cetinje, Montenegro	shooting star— unprepared I waste a wish
Fifth Place 23 points	Radostina Dragostinova, Sofia, Bulgaria	searching for each other autumn leaves
Sixth Place (2) 22 points	Aljoša Vuković, Sibenik, Croatia	after the rain in the heart on the wall a snail couple
	Jon Espen Vassbotn, Kristiansand, Norway	river fog a long forgotten laughter from the other side
Seventh Place 21 points	Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Galaţi, Romania	night train- just the full moon waiting for me in the station
Eighth Place 19 points	Cynthia Rowe, Sydney, Australia	dreamcatcher the spider-web snares moonbeams
Ninth Place 18 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	falling leaves … the sparrows more and more visible
Tenth Place (2) 17 points	Martha Magenta, Bristol, United Kingdom	skylark’s song her faded words on a postcard
	Stefanie Bucifal, Konstanz, Germany	window shopping her reflection wearing Chanel

20th European Quarterly Kukai, Winter 2017

Kukai topic	None	
Number of participants	237 from 47 countries	
Results posted	December 30, 2017	
First Place 41 points	Anna Cates, Wilmington, Ohio,  U.S.A.	empty field— in the black bird’s cry the whole lonely day
Second Place (2) 35 points	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	end of war— getting a snow angel  with a single wing
	Rick Clark, Seattle, U.S.A.	our loner neighbor— his clematis creeping onto our balcony
Third Place 34 points	Ana Drobot Bucharest, Romania	snowflakes— my first ballet lesson
Fourth Place 31 points	Kurt Øystein Slåtten, Egersund, Norway	autumn rain the old oak gathers crows
Fifth Place 29 points	Barbara A. Taylor, Mountain Top, NSW, Australia	spinning the globe  I decide to stay where I am
Sixth Place 28 points	Adrian Bouter, Gouda, The Netherlands	snow geese the warmth of her small hand nestling in mine
Seventh Place 22 points	Archana Kapoor Nagpal, Bengaluru, India	beach walk … one by one stars touch my feet
Eighth Place 21 points	Angiola Inglese, Treviso, Italy	leaves fall on the swing the weight of my thoughts
Ninth Place (2) 20 points	Janina Weidholz, Wiesbaden, Germany	no longer bound by a vow— winter light
	Ana Baltė, Vilnius, Lithuania	falling leaves— the last chance to dance
Tenth Place (2) 18 points	Marietta McGregor, Canberra, Australia	frozen stream stepping across a moon bridge
	Jūratė Norvaišienė, Mažeikiai, Lithuania	december rain on the window paper snowflakes

19th European Quarterly Kukai, Autumn 2017

Kukai topic	“Movement”
Number of participants	204 from 44 countries
Results posted	October 4, 2017
First Place 45 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	blowing a kiss the wind changes its direction
Second Place 44 points	Alegria Imperial, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	autumn rain the river carries  the sky
Third Place 29 points	Brigitte ten Brink, Konstanz, Germany	autumn stillness  our thoughts wandering hand in hand
Fourth Place 25 points	Dan Iulian, Bucharest, Romania	night train— I keep up with the moon
Fifth Place	Vibeke Laier, Randers, Denmark	endless rain mother’s voice still fills the empty room
Sixth Place (2) 23 points	Christine L. Villa, North Highlands, California, U.S.A.	solar eclipse he slips a diamond ring on her finger
	Sudebi Singha, Kolkata, India	candle march each flicker carries the dark
Seventh Place 22 points	Adjei Agyei-Baah, Kumasi, Ghana	bend of the river  a tree shadow resists the current
Eighth Place (2) 21 points	Jūratė Norvaišienė, Mažeikiai, Lithuania	first love through the open window paper plane
	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	on the bread line— a girl breaks the row  for a butterfly
Ninth Place (3) 19 points	Marie Derley, Ath, Belgium	the neighbour’s cat passes through the fence— year of the Brexit
	Francesco Gonella, Padova, Italy	Bending to the passing train poppies.
	Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, Centerville, Ohio, U.S.A.	alone even the wind avoids touch
Tenth Place (3) 18 points	Elke Bonacker, Duisburg, Germany	Autumn almost defoliated the calendar
	Munia Khan, Dhaka, Bangladesh	coma— only the movement of heart
	Magda Sobieszek, Opole, Poland	lullaby moon under her hand first moves

18th European Quarterly Kukai, Summer 2017

Kukai topic	“Landscape”	
Number of participants	202 from 46 countries	
Results posted	June 28, 2017	
First Place 39 points	Billy Antonio, Laoac, Philippines	dandelion field the weight of so many wishes
Second Place 36 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	photoshop … I clean the waste on the meadow
Third Place 30 points	Alexey Andreev, Moscow, Russia	sunset fishermen stand waist-deep in red
Fourth Place (2) 28 points	Lucia Fontana, Milan, Italy	drawing the mountain’s profile green dragonfly
	Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Galați, Romania	graveyard on the hill— same view for everyone
Fifth Place 25 points	Vania Stefanova, Sliven, Bulgaria	lightning— a stone on the dark slope  turns into а turtle
Sixth Place 24 points	Angelica Seithe, Wettenberg, Germany	light fog the landscape around us painted on silk
Seventh Place (2) 23 points	Blessmond Alebna Ayinbire, Bolgatanga, Ghana	tête-à-tête … the vastness in Grandpa’s glasses
	Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania	in a tin  dried up brushes — unfinished autumn
Eighth Place (2) 20 points	Christine L. Villa, North Highlands, California, U.S.A.	valley fog the two of us more apart
	Cristina Apetrei, Botoșani, Romania	thunder a china doll  closes its eyes
Ninth Place 19 points	Theophilus Femi Alawonde, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria	cattle grazing … the yellow teeth of a grinning herdsman
Tenth Place 18 points	Arne Haukdal, Stavanger, Norway	after the forest fire a bird looking for meaning

17th European Quarterly Kukai, Spring 2017

Kukai topic	“Birds”	
Number of participants	238 from 43 countries	
Results posted	April 1, 2017	
First Place 45 points	Vinay Leo R., Bengaluru, India	birdsong … if only I had the time
Second Place 42 points	Aljoša Vuković, Sibenik, Croatia	parrot on my shoulder my mother’s voice once again
Third Place 41 points	David J Kelly, Dublin, Ireland	a small bird’s song the weight of the world lighter
Fourth Place 35 points	Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă,  Galaţi, Romania	Valentine’s day— in the park I share my cake with pigeons
Fifth Place (2) 30 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	my mum’s photo my son draws wings
	Arne Haukdal, Stavanger, Norway	kiwi some of us don’t fly
Sixth Place (2) 29 points	Marina Bellini,  Bagnolo San Vito (MN), Italy	poacher trap— another song lost forever
	Vandana Parashar, Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, India	eleventh birthday … my daughter waits for an owl from Hogwarts
Seventh Place 25 points	Lucia Fontana, Milan, Italy	jazz concert  swallows improvisation entwined with clouds
Eighth Place (4) 24 points	Vibeke Laier, Randers, Denmark	evening frost the song of a robin waiting to be found
	Cynthia Rowe, Sydney, Australia	woodchopper’s axe the mournful cry of a forest raven
	Nikolay Grankin, Krasnodar, Russia	first day of spring our young parrot suddenly spoke
	Lynette Arden, Norwood, SA, Australia	silent forest a sheet of bark opens yellow eyes
Ninth Place 22 points	Maria Laura Valente, Cesena, Italy	breaking dawn— the blackcap’s song blows out the last star
Tenth Place 21 points	Štefanija Ludvig, Dubravica, Croatia	sandy beach I draw the heart for you with a gull feather

16th European Quarterly Kukai, Winter 2016

Kukai topic	“Journey”	
Number of participants	220 from 45 countries	
Results posted	December 31, 2016	
First Place 70 points	Marta Chociłowska, Warsaw, Poland	funeral  her first journey alone
Second Place 41 points	Iliyana Stoyanova, St Albans, U.K.	night bus her tattoo flies away with each street light
Third Place (2) 35 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	faint creaking— the old man and his boat talk to each other
	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	suitcase packed  the weight of promises to stay in touch
Fourth Place 28 points	John McDonald, Edinburgh, Scotland	great migration— at the closed borders they watch the geese
Fifth Place 24 points	Vinay Leo R., Bangalore, India	I return to my roots … raindrop
Sixth Place 22 points	Billy Antonio, Laoac, Philippines	bedtime my daughter and I off to Neverland
Seventh Place (2) 21 points	Ernesto P. Santiago, Solano, Philippines	open boat— a child clings to my finger
	Rachel Sutcliffe, Huddersfield, England	holiday no escape from myself
Eighth Place (2) 19 points	Francesco de Sabata, Pescantina, Italy	the first snow falls – on the Balkan route  children footprints
	Maria Tomczak, Opole, Poland	long goodbye he hands me a suitcase with all its weight
Ninth Place (3) 16 points	Nikolay Grankin, Krasnodar, Russia	homecoming the snow on the car isn’t from here
	Anna Goluba, Warsaw, Poland	Wandering On the paths of my childhood Fog
	Brendon Kent, Southampton, England	city traffic  ants in and out of a sparrow
Tenth Place 17 points	Ignatius Fay, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada	delayed flight enough time to consider is it love or not

15th European Quarterly Kukai, Autumn 2016

Kukai topic	“Sounds”	
Number of participants	215 from 49 countries	
Results posted	September 29, 2016
First Place 49 points	Sondra J. Byrnes, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.	summer dusk putting on my glasses to hear you better
Second Place 48 points	Cynthia Rowe, Sydney, Australia	border crossing the baby’s cry cut short
Third Place (2) 40 points	Christiane Ranieri, Wittenheim, France	Father’s Day— the sound of our spoons and his silence
	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	first school day the constant chatter of new shoes
Fourth Place 38 points	Alexey Andreev, Moscow, Russia	guests left again i hear the rain
Fifth Place 34 points	Eléonore Nickolay, Vaires sur Marne, France	foghorn the frozen silhouette of a cormorant
Sixth Place 32 points	Shalini Sunkuru, Norwich, U.K.	meditation— between breaths the sea
Seventh Place 26 points	Valeria Simonova-Cecon, Cividale del Friuli, Italy	autumn woods— a click of my camera
Eighth Place 25 points	Aziza Hena, Dhaka, Bangladesh	night shore ocean waves add tune to fishermen’s song …
Ninth Place (3) 24 points	Christina Sng, Singapore	amputation day the sound of cut grass
	Marion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, U.K.	crack of twig the young deer leaves me its breath
	Božidar Škobić, Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina	a piece of wood on the bank of the river sound of a violin
Tenth Place 23 points	Veronika Zora Novak, Toronto, Canada	twilight … i step into the whistle of dove wings

14th European Quarterly Kukai, Summer 2016

Kukai topic	“Flowers”	
Number of participants	218 from 48 countries	
Results posted	June 19, 2016	
First Place 39 points	Maria Tomczak, Opole, Poland	dandelion fluff what will keep us together?
Second Place (2) 33 points	Đurđa Vukelić-Rožić, Ivanić-Grad, Croatia	forgotten war— thistles in bloom hide a ruin
	Christof Blumentrath, Borken, Germany	morning breeze my daughter knee-deep in dandelions
Third Place (2) 30 points	Magda Sobieszek, Opole, Poland	Alzheimer’s once again she smells forget-me-nots
	Bill Kenney, Whitestone, New York, U.S.A.	their first quarrel— rearranging the cut flowers
Fourth Place 27 points	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	clear sky— sunflowers and migrants facing to west
Fifth Place 24 points	Eléonore Nickolay, Vaires sur Marne, France	cherry blossom once again believing in his promises
Sixth Place 21 points	Angelica Seithe, Wettenberg, Germany	wild rose regretting her innocence
Seventh Place (2) 20 points	Maurizio Petruccioli, Corno di Rosazzo, Italy	gust of wind— the cherry blossoms follow my steps
	Eleni Antoniou-Constantinou, Nicosia, Cyprus	old photos— scent of lavender in the drawer
Eighth Place (2) 19 points	Gerd Börner, Berlin, Germany	Afghanistan we are running out of poppies
	Tom Sacramona, Plainville, Massachusetts, U.S.A.	croquet the dandelion explodes …
Ninth Place 18 points	Zoran Doderović, Novi Sad, Serbia	white lilies on the little girl’s nose yellow pollen
Tenth Place (2) 17 points	Susan Mallernee, Dover, Ohio, U.S.A.	snapdragons the first secret mother shared
	Tomasz Szymczak, Chojnice, Poland	taste of a rose in the field of wildflowers her secret tattoo

13th European Quarterly Kukai, Spring 2016

Kukai topic	“People”	
Number of participants	211 from 43 countries	
Results posted	March 18, 2016	
First Place 43 points	Tash Adams, Perth, Australia	leaving him one kilo at a time
Second Place 38 points	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	refugees convoy— a newborn baby smiles in his sleep
Third Place 36 points	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	first school day— all sunflowers look at the teacher
Fourth Place 30 points	Brendon Kent, Southampton, U.K.	tube station … the homeless man still in yesterday’s news
Fifth Place 29 points	Franklin Magalhães, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	No letters today. The postman crosses the road for a handshake.
Sixth Place (3) 28 points	Jayashree Maniyil, Melbourne, Australia	mountain peak the rising edge of a muezzin’s call
	Maria Tomczak, Opole, Poland	historic church camera lenses avoid the beggar
	Christian Dexter, Botoșani, Romania	Father’s Day— a lizard warming his gravestone
Seventh Place 27 points	Christof Blumentrath, Borken, Germany	slide guitar— the melody of her naked back
Eighth Place 24 points	Hristina Pandjaridis, Illkirch, Bulgaria	broken window a boy chasing the wind
Tenth Place 20 points	Rosa Clement, Manaus, Brazil	dying wasp the little boy asks if it goes to heaven

12th European Quarterly Kukai, Winter 2015

Kukai topic	“Day / night”	
Number of participants	186 from 38 countries	
Results posted	December 18, 2015	
First Place 45 points	Radu Tudosan, Bucharest, Romania	night fishing— life hangs by a single thread
Second Place 24 points	Sandra Martyres, Mumbai, India	moonless sky— not even a shadow to follow him
Third Place (4) 21 points	Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian, Port Harcourt, Nigeria	autumn dusk white herons turn black on their way home
	Christiane Ranieri, Wittenheim, France	birthday— in my daughter’s hair a woman’s perfume
	Alegria Imperial, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	dream catcher— the shifting colours of dawn
	Maria Tomczak, Opole, Poland	hospice silence an old yogi salutes the sun in his mind
Fourth Place (2) 20 points	Vibeke Laier, Randers, Denmark	keeping stars alive on rice paper night calligraphy
	Radka Mindova, Sliven, Bulgaria	long day— from i love the rain to i hate it
Fifth Place (3) 19 points	Klaus-Dieter Wirth, Viersen, Germany	dreary day emerging from nowhere a butterfly
	Jon Espen Vassbotn, Kristiansand, Norway	new years day a swan draws a horizon through the mist
	Sanjukta Asopa, Karnataka, India	mountain lake … I cup the blue dusk in my palms
Sixth Place 18 points	Wiesław Karliński, Namysłów, Poland	All Souls’ Day in the old cemetery new hats
Seventh Place (2) 17 points	Đurđa Vukelić-Rožić, Ivanić-Grad, Croatia	harvested corn fields— red legs of the white ducks plowing the sun
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, U.S.A.	silent night— one candle’s glow fills the sanctuary
Eighth Place (2) 16 points	Samar Ghose, Perth, Australia	how to just be day moon
	Laura Csilla, Brașov, Romania	night in the trenches a firefly prolongs my life line
Ninth Place (3) 15 points	Vinay Leo R., Bengaluru, India	day by day the nights grow longer— heartbreak
	Marietta Jane McGregor, Canberra, Australia	overcast day she saves a poem to the cloud
	Nada Jačmenica,  Sveti Križ Začretje, Croatia	dawn—  the night sky slides down a cobweb thread
Tenth Place (3) 14 points	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	stateless child stargazing alone in a crowd
	Lyudmila Hristova, Sofia, Bulgaria	Holy Night the homeless man is smiling in his sleep
	Christa Beau, Halle/Saale, Germany	December night a girl dreams of the doll from the storefront

11th European Quarterly Kukai, Autumn 2015

Kukai topic	“Food”	
Number of participants	158 from 37 countries	
Results posted	September 18, 2015	
First Place 58 points	Simon Hanson,,  Allendale, Tasmania Australia	sardine catch the flicker of moonlight on the sand
Second Place 53 points	Marion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, U.K.	snow storm … my daughter bakes her first cake
Third Place 40 points	Vandana Parashar, Ganganagar, Rajastan, India	biscuit crumbs … frail fingers picking up the memories
Fourth Place 28 points	Đurđa Vukelić-Rožić, Ivanic-Grad, Croatia	deserted house— nobody to pick the ripe plums
Fifth Place 25 points	Angelica Seithe, Wettenberg, Germany	dinner with you— the bones of our fishes shoulder to shoulder
Sixth Place 23 points	David Rodrigues, Lisbon, Portugal	window over the valley— only now the flavour of hot bread.
Seventh Place 21 points	Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania	empty wine bottle full of sunset
Eighth Place 20 points	Shalini Sunkuru, Norwich, U.K.	cold night I drink life from a soup bowl sip by sip
Ninth Place (2) 19 points	Nijolė Kerušauskienė, Kaunas, Lithuania	Autumn sunset a dull thud of dropping apples one after the other
	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, West Bengal, India	harvest song— moonlight fills the beggar’s empty bowl
Tenth Place (2) 18 points	Bernard Gieske, Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A.	last strawberries the distant toll of a church bell
	Wolfgang Beutke, Barum, Germany	hot summer night— in the darkness of the fridge a ripe melon
		

10th European Quarterly Kukai, Summer 2015

Kukai topic	“Weather”	
Number of participants	183 from 38 countries	
Results posted	June 18, 2015	
First Place 36 points	Iliyana Stoyanova, St Albans, U.K.	distant thunder a line of footprints still escaping the waves
Second Place (2) 27 points	Ana Drobot, Bucharest, Romania	foggy morning— he opens his eyes after the laser operation
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, U.S.A.	braving the weather side by side— my parents’ graves
Third Place 24 points	Gabriel Sawicki , Wrocław, Poland	night rain another sound of my insomnia
Fourth Place (2) 23 points	Branka Vojinović Jegdić, Podgorica, Montenegro	sudden sunshine— a snail’s track dries on the path
	Tomasz Szymczak, Chojnice, Poland	evening prayer— between two last drops of rain  scent of olive trees
Fifth Place 22 points	Tracy Davidson, Stratford-on-Avon, U.K.	snowy morning a robin skates on my bird bath
Sixth Place 21 points	Brian Robertson, Berlin, Germany	downpour the rival street dogs share the tree
Seventh Place 19 points	Vasile Moldovan, Bucharest, Romania	wrapped in fog … on my mother’s face unseen wrinkles
Eighth Place (5) 18 points	Marta Chociłowska, Warsaw, Poland	sweltering heat on the old man’s knees a camel-hair blanket
	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	in a snowy window someone smiles at me— missing child poster
	Devin Harrison, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada	falling on the silence of years snowflakes
	Bernard Gieske, Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A.	rainy day suddenly a bit of blue cat’s eyes
	Alexey Andreev, Moscow, Russia	stormy sky the surgeon stares at my x-rays
Ninth Place 17 points	Goda V. Bendoraitienė, Klaipėda, Lithuania	a sudden downpour brings us to the doorstep of an open church
Tenth Place (2) 16 points	Vladimir Ludvig, Dubravica, Croatia	wow! look! the flying cow— tornado
	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	footprints … raindrops come home on a little satchel

9th European Quarterly Kukai, Spring 2015

Kukai topic	“Plants”	
Number of participants	171 from 38 countries	
Results posted	March 18, 2015	
First Place 60 points	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	dandelions— how i learnt to let go
Second Place 34 points	Angelica Seithe, Wettenberg, Germany	old oak— I have no shadow in your shade
Third Place 33 points	Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Galaţi, Romania	the old rose bloomed again— grandpa tries on tango shoes
Fourth Place 28 points	Ajaya Mahala, Pune, India	old oak a million cicada songs in the withered bark
Fifth Place (2) 25 points	Lilia Racheva, Ruse, Bulgaria	memories of a father plum blossom on a wooden bench
	Cezar F. Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	before surgery … wide opening the window to the lilac scent
Sixth Place 24 points	Helga Stania, Greppen, Switzerland	in search of the right words— wild daffodils
Seventh Place 23 points	Brigitte ten Brink, Konstanz, Germany	blooming trees two little wooden crosses beside the road
Eighth Place 22 points	Diana Teneva, Haskovo, Bulgaria	so many suns in the autumn fog— chrysanthemums
Ninth Place 19 points	Meik W. Blottenberger, Hanover, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.	late autumn a butterfly befriends the withered bud
Tenth Place 18 points	Francesco Gonella, Padua, Italy	Mirrored in a pond a willow and me both weeping.

8th European Quarterly Kukai, Winter 2014

Kukai topic	“The cosmos”	
Number of participants	170 from 40 countries	
Results posted	December 18, 2014	
First Place 35 points	Cynthia Rowe, Sydney, Australia	neap tide the old fisherman harvests moon crystals
Second Place 33 points	Alexey Golubev, Saint Petersburg, Russia	cosmos no plans for retirement
Third Place 28 points	Edward Beach, Bristol, U.K.	voyager 2 my boy asks how it knows where to go
Fourth Place 27 points	Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	sanguine moon my father decides to end his chemo
Fifth Place (2) 24 points	Maya Kisyova, Sofia, Bulgaria	meteor shower the queue in the lottery kiosk is growing
	Carl Seguiban, Vancouver, British Columbia,  Canada	ancestral home— Orion spans across the missing thatch
Sixth Place (3) 23 points	Vibeke Laier, Randers, Denmark	creasing the origami star unfolding wish
	Detelina Tiholova, Kustendil, Bulgaria	astronomy exam in students’ eyes nebulae
	Kuheli Santra, Midnapur, India	autumn moon the temple bell seeping through
Seventh Place 22 points	Aleksandar Tolić, Varaždin, Croatia	Fireflies in the air Mixing with the evening stars Impossible love
Eighth Place (2) 20 points	Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania	first childbirth in her eyes the universe
	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, India	solstice night— a loon’s call slowly expands the Milky Way
Ninth Place (2) 18 points	Yesha Shah, Surat, India	meteor showers— all my wishes vanish one by one
Tenth Place (2) 17 points	Silvia Bacher, Bad Aussee, Austria	the stars in his eyes my universe
	Veronika Zora Novak, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	quietly out of the cosmos night lotus
		

7th European Quarterly Kukai, Autumn 2014

Kukai topic	“Animals”	
Number of participants	165 from 36 countries	
Results posted	September 18, 2014	
First Place 51 points	Rita Odeh, Nazareth, Israel	moonlit river— a giraffe sipping the stars
Second Place 43 points	Ajaya Mahala, Pune, India	play of clouds a mammoth loses its tusks  to the autumn wind
Third Place (2) 33 points	Damir Damir, Kotor, Montenegro	the sun at the edge of an albatross’ wing— autumn equinox
	Maria Kowal-Tomczak, Opole, Poland	cricket chirping the silence between us finally broken
Fourth Place 29 points	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	walking to my son— the dog already reached his grave
Fifth Place 26 points	Vinay Leo R., Bangalore, India	last light … migrating birds carry the sun away
Sixth Place (2) 24 points	Simon Hanson,, Mount Gambier, Australia	macaw for sale a faraway look in its eyes
	Artūras Šilanskas, Vilnius, Lithuania	Indian summer looking for a friend in the pet store
Seventh Place 23 points	Detelina Tiholova, Kustendil, Bulgaria	two apples in the gypsy’s hands— the better one for his horse
Eighth Place (2) 22 points	Minh-Triêt Pham, Paris, France	World Blood Donor Day— even more mosquitoes
	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	final sleep— the dog gives my hand one last lick
Ninth Place 21 points	Andrzej Dembończyk, Silesia, Poland	warm morning— next to the new grave sits an old dog
Tenth Place 20 points	Klaus-Dieter Wirth, Viersen, Germany	knocked down pigeon a gentle breeze keeps lifting its feathers

6th European Quarterly Kukai, Summer 2014

Kukai topic	“Water”	
Number of participants	179 from 41 countries	
Results posted	June 18, 2014	
First Place 35 points	Rosa Clement, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil	stormy night my umbrella gets home before I do
Second Place 34 points	Natalia Kuznetsova, Moscow, Russia	flooded village … a boy on the cottage roof clutching his puppy
Third Place 31 points	Anitha Varma, Kerala, India	summer showers … I taste the salt of a distant sea
Fourth Place (3) 25 points	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	wishing well— the hollow sound  my penny made
	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, India	after the rain in each hanging droplet the world upside down
	Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy, Birmingham, U.K.	sand dunes— the kids catch raindrops on their tongues
Fifth Place 24 points	Ken Sawitri, Jakarta, Indonesia	summer rain— socks on the clothesline still try to escape on tiptoe
Sixth Place (2) 22 points	Sandi Pray, Robinsville, North Carolina, U.S.A.	a fair wind the old sailor’s mind comes and goes
	Maria Kowal-Tomczak, Opole, Poland	waterfall uninterrupted sound of whiteness
Seventh Place (2) 21 points	Lavana Kray, Iași, Romania	hot day idleness— I am watching the puddle  turning back to cloud
	Tristan Basco, Sydney, Australia	paper boats drifting with the tide  my childhood dreams
Eighth Place (2) 18 points	Minh-Triêt Pham, Paris, France	monsoon— roaring ocean of rice fields
	Zuzanna Truchlewska, Łaziska Górne, Poland	the summer rain on your face first freckles
Ninth Place (2) 16 points	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, U.S.A.	before and after photos the dolphin
	Anne-Marie Labelle, Montréal, Canada	first communion in her white dress she jumps over the puddle
Tenth Place 15 points	Hélène Duc, Bichancourt, France	cosmos in bloom a drop of rain shakes the universe

5th European Quarterly Kukai, Spring 2014

Kukai topic	“Colors”	
Number of participants	179 from 41 countries	
Results posted	March 18, 2014	
First Place 51 points	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, India	faded album— all the missing colours of my childhood
Second Place 40 points	Frățilă Genovel-Florentin, Râmnicu Sărat, Romania	springtime again— the blind man breathing deeply  the green color
Third Place 35 points	Veronika Zora Novak, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	preening the edge of twilight … black swan
Fourth Place 31 points	Yesha Shah, Surat, India	rainbow skies— teaching colors to her blind child
Fifth Place 29 points	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	spring blossoms …. all the colours of her laughter
Sixth Place (2) 25 points	Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania	first grass waiting for the last chemotherapy
	Asni Amin, Singapore	how little I know of thorns … red roses
Seventh Place 20 points	Roberta Beary,  Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A. / Ireland	rainbow flag the father pretends not to see
Eighth Place 19 points	Yuko Igarashi, Velbert, Germany	one little child  counts on his index finger over the rainbow
Ninth Place 18 points	Brigitte ten Brink, Konstanz, Germany	pale winter sun a woman adorns a grave with plastic flowers
Tenth Place 17 points	Petya Popova, Sofia, Bulgaria	snowy morning one of my toes sticks out of my colorful sock

4th European Quarterly Kukai, Winter 2013

Kukai topic	“Winter”	
Number of participants	161 from 41 countries	
Results posted	December 18, 2013	
First Place 46 points	Sara Winteridge, New Forest, Hampshire, England	snow fall ~ realising the shape of things
Second Place 38 points	Sondra J. Byrnes, South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A.	winter light— the blue tint of silence
Third Place 37 points	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, West Bengal, India	first winter days— again in mom’s frail hands my unfinished sweater
Fourth Place 24 points	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	snowman done— the missing parts of my childhood
Fifth Place (2) 21 points	Štefanija Ludvig, Dubravica, Croatia	street musician instead of coins hat full of snow
	Janina Kołodziejczyk, Pavullo, Italy	a canceled flight mountains and winter between us
Sixth Place 20 points	Joann Grisetti, Winter Springs, Florida, U.S.A.	afternoon snow how quietly the teapot cools
Seventh Place (2) 18 points	Marion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland	snowed in … I add more cream to my Irish Coffee
	Frățilă Genovel-Florentin, Râmnicu Sărat, Romania	first snowflakes— the beggar’s clothes immaculate
Eighth Place 17 points	Simon Hanson,, Allendale, SA, Australia	in the darkness across fields of snow your window light
Ninth Place (3) 16 points	Artur Lewandowski, Sieradz, Poland	after carolling angel and devil walk unsteadily
	Veronika Zora Novak, Toronto, Canada	opiate sun … the sound of icicles melting
	Marta Chociłowska, Warsaw, Poland	frosty night snowflakes thaw between our lips
Tenth Place (2) 14 points	Vladimir Ludvig, Zaprešić, Croatia	on the snout of a frozen dog crystal stars
	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	snowflakes … each one melts in its own way

3rd European Quarterly Kukai, Autumn 2013

Kukai topic	“Autumn”	
Number of participants	144 from 39 countries	
Results posted	September 18, 2013	
First Place 25 points	Sondra J. Byrnes, South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A.	harvest moon— even if that was all there was
Second Place 24 points	Heike Gewi, Aden, Yemen	traffic jam— I can’t take my eyes off a red maple leaf
Third Place (3) 23 points	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	first school day in his almond eyes forgotten war
	Ðurđa Vukelić-Rožić, Ivanić-Grad, Croatia	sidewalk cafe— dry leaves chasing the cars
	Sanjukta Asopa, Karnataka, India	reddening leaf … how the end begins
Fourth Place 19 points	Jennifer Thompson, Charles Town, West Virginia, U.S.A.	red maple  how quickly  fire spreads
Fifth Place 18 points	Lynette Arden, Norwood, SA, Australia	waltz an autumn leaf partners the kitten
Sixth Place (2) 17 points	Maria Kowal-Tomczak, Opole, Poland	red traffic light if only it could stop the falling leaves
	Zhanna P. Rader, Athens, Georgia, U.S.A.	Windy day—              the aspens lose grip of their gold
Seventh Place (2) 16 points	Annie Juhl, Svendborg, Denmark	bramble hunt his little purple hand in mine
	Tuvshinzaya Nergui, Tsetserleg city, Mongolia	this autumn … flowers on sister’s dress fading too
Eighth Place (2) 15 points	Kashinath Karmakar, Durgapur, India	mom’s toothless smile— autumn moon rising through bare branches
	Steliana Cristina Voicu, Ploiești, Romania	autumn morning on my piano the wind writes its story
Ninth Place (4) 13 points	Wiesław Karliński, Namysłow, Poland	frosty morning again— a magpie secretly plants another tree
	Arvinder Kaur, Chandigarh, India	forgotten love each time a leaf falls each time …
	Evgeny Ivanov, Moscow, Russia	little girl hide yellow leaf between pages
	Ulla Conrad, Copenhagen, Denmark	Red maple leaves on the japanese teabowl— chill evening air
Tenth Place (3) 12 points	Natalia Sedenkova, Samara, Russia	autumn equinox warm days with you nights without
	Rosa Clement, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil	birthday party her cup half full with autumn moon
	Albina Avsec,  Maribor, Slovenia	Birds on a wire, longing for warmer places— autumn inside me

2nd European Quarterly Kukai, Summer 2013

Kukai topic	“Summer”	
Number of participants	162 from 39 countries	
Results posted	June 16, 2013	
First Place 33 points	Andrea Cecon, Cividale del Friuli, Italy	midday heat the dog stretches its paws one by one
Second Place 32 points	Rosa Clement, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil	dark river a fishnet catches the summer moon
Third Place (3) 30 points	Wiesław Karliński, Namysłow, Poland	short Siberian summer— a haste of plants and bees— time is honey
	John McManus, Carlisle, Cumbria, England	summer vacation I take a break from being myself
	Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.	just friends— a taste of summer in her kiss
Fourth Place 25 points	Helga Stania, Greppen, Switzerland	letters i wanted to write … poppy petals
Fifth Place 22 points	Sebastian Lucacs, Dorohoi, Romania	not even a word between us— mating fireflies
Sixth Place (2) 21 points	Bernard Gieske, Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A.	skipping stones ripples of laughter from across the lake
	Bill Kenney, Whitestone, New York U.S.A.	the stillness of a hammock midday heat
Seventh Place (2) 19 points	Annie Juhl, Svendborg, Denmark	clover fields the honey bee and I barefooted
	Dan Iulian, Bucharest, Romania	early morning— the cormorant’s wings shake first drops of light
Eighth Place 17 points	Tracy Davidson, Stratford-on-Avon, U.K.	on my washing line  all the colours of summer … basking butterflies
Ninth Place (3) 16 points	Nelly Dobrinova, Sofia, Bulgaria	summer drought in my old steps— green apples
	Artūras Šilanskas, Vilnius, Lithuania	thunder without rain handicaped child eats a lilac blossom
	Cristina Ailoaei, Botoșani, Romania	searing heat— a dog chasing after  the ice cream truck
Tenth Place (2) * 14 points	Nijolė Kerušauskienė, Kaunas, Lithuania	bathing at sunset … what if we hid clothes left on the shore?

* Two other tenth-place winners were withdrawn by the organizers.

1st European Quarterly Kukai, Spring 2013

Kukai topic	“Spring”	
Number of participants	130 from 33 countries	
Results posted	March 17, 2013	
First Place 22 points	Artur Lewandowski, Sieradz, Poland	spring the widow buys depilatory wax
Second Place (2) 18 points	S. M. Abeles, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.	the way I know when you are coming— blossom rain
	Sebastian Lucacs, Dorohoi, Romania	spring fever— the spinster browsing a seed catalogue
Third Place (3) 17 points	Sheila Windsor, Worcester, England	the long way home … a field of newborn lambs on tipsy legs
	Natalia Sedenkova (Shiroki Mirukami), Samara, Russia	my vast country cherry blossoms gone unnoticed
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, NY, U.S.A.	swelling buds a sudden skip in my step
Fourth Place (2) 16 points	Bouwe Brouwer, Emmeloord, The Netherlands	spring morning while letting out the cat i let in birdsong
	Jennifer Thompson, Charles Town, West Virginia, U.S.A.	regret all the bulbs I never planted
Fifth Place (2) 15 points	Wolfgang Beutke, Barum (town), Germany	Spring rain falling … my nameless neighbour plays hava nagila
	Tzetzka Ilieva, Marietta, Georgia, U.S.A. / Bulgaria	books in my mother tongue … pressed dandelions
Sixth Place (2) 14 points	Willy Cuvelier, Gullegem, Belgium	The forgotten doll awoke under a blanket of fallen blossoms.
	Sondra J. Byrnes, South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A.	spring cleanup— she cannot remember her neighbor’s name
Seventh Place (3) 13 points	Silvia Kempen, Apen, Germany	cherry blossoms in black ink—still the sweet scent
	Angie Werren, Amelia, Ohio, U.S.A.	the soft beat of wings— melting snow
	Aditya Bahl, Himachal Pradesh, India	whole fields of gentians landmines
Eighth Place (5) 12 points	Tatjana Debeljački, Užice, Serbia	Gypsy violin … the wheat harvest sparkling with fireflies
	Vitali Khomin, Mukachevo, Ukraine	rays of the spring sun a puppy looks at himself in a frozen puddle
	Stjepan Rožić, Ivanić-Grad, Croatia	spring morning—a couple of sparrows from an antenna broadcasting love
	Maria Kowal-Tomczak, Opole, Poland	hospice garden on the dead looking tree a few fresh buds
	Lidia Rozmus, Vernon Hills, Illinois, U.S.A.	the first day of April between patches of snow something green
Ninth Place (4) 11 points	Hélène Duc, Bichancourt, Aisne, France	first buds— his breastfeeding on all lips
	Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu, Bucharest, Romania	First Communion Day— a bee hides in a girl’s bunch of daffodils
	Christian Michel, Madrid, Spain	March sun— snowdrop’s shadow melting away
	Cezar F. Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	spring evening— an old farmer smelling freshly plowed earth
Tenth Place (2) 10 points	Diana Teneva, Haskovo, Bulgaria	plum blossoms on the windowpanes … windy morning
	Lorin Ford, Melbourne, Australia	spring thaw— an ingrown toenail cuts deeper

Compiled by the European Kukai Team, Robert Kania and Krzysztof Kokot

Sources / Further Reading

• European Kukai website: http://europeankukai.blogspot.com. Archives.

Related Haikupedia Articles

Online Kukai

Polish International Haiku Competition

Polish Haiku Association

Note

1. This information is adapted from the invitation to the 1st European Quarterly Kukai, March 2013, and subsequent postings archived on the European Kukai website. [↩]