Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest (1988– )

The Kaji Aso Studio and Institute for the Arts in Boston was founded in 1973 and serves as a center for the study of Japanese graphic and plastic arts as well as literature and poetry. The Boston Haiku Society first met at the studio in 1987, and the Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest has been based there annually since 1988.

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Background and Procedures

Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, originated and sponsored by the Kaji Aso Studio and Institute for the Arts in Boston, was established in 1988 as a project of the Boston Haiku Society, which holds regular meetings there.

The contest is open to the public, with a submission deadline of April 15. There are no regulations as to type of haiku or senryu that may be submitted. The entry fee is $3.00 for each haiku or senryu. Until his death in 2006, Kaji Aso judged the contest himself; now contest judges are assigned each year by the Boston Haiku Society.

Judges typically award cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners and a number of Honorable Mentions. From 2006 through 2010 the contest was augmented by the Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award, supported by a special gift from Carolyn Lamb in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Searle Lamb, who passed away in 2005. In some years other sponsored prizes have also been awarded.

The contest was not held in 2022 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Originally, contest results were published in the studio’s Dasoku: A Journal of Arts and Letters; now they are made available in mid-June (in non-pandemic years) on the Kaji Aso Studio website. The results have also been reported in the June issue of The Fenway News, a Boston neighborhood monthly newspaper, and on its website.

This program is supported by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston and in some years by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council in the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

Notes on the Haikupedia Table

The Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest was not held in 2022.

Information about the contests conducted before 2003 is sketchy and incomplete, and even the numbering of the contests is uncertain. We have presented in these tables what is known about the winning poets and their haiku. We would be grateful to have any additional information.

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35th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2025

First Place	Scott Mason, Somers, New York	approaching darkness all the flagstones that wobble
Second Place	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	inside the icicle spring rain
Third Place	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	canyon sunset so many shades of shadow
Senryu Prize	Judson Evans, Holbrook, Massachusetts	April Fools’ my mother calls to say she’s still alive
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10), listed alphabetically by author	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	the darkness between exits … the Milky Way
	Danny Blackwell, Valencia, Spain	moon viewing grass flattened in a circle
	Ken Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	wind across the bay— stripping the lightning of its thunder
	Marita Gargiulo, Hamden, Connecticut	strawberry moon I reposition a wire on the bonsai
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton. New York	nothing is for sure starlight
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	salt marsh morning heat eases into the bird blind
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	spring wind the narrowing gyre of red-tailed hawks
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	cool night grass we invent our own constellations
	Scott Mason, Somers, New York	eeling alongside the river night train
	Julie Schwerin, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin	feeding sparrows dum spiro spero
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3), listed alphabetically by author	Stefanie Bucifal, Konstanz. Germany	kintsugi I imagine myself from scratch
	Edward Cody Huddleston, Baxley, Georgia	hiding the cracks in the wall family portrait
	Ravi Kiran, Telangana, India	walking cane the other hand waves goodbye

35th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2024

First Place	Ravi Kiran, Telangana State, India	retreating in turns the sandpipers and the sea
Second Place	Nicholas H. Rossler, Arvada, Colorado	caught by the spider’s web— a dandelion seed
Third Place	Barrie Levine, Wenham, Massachusetts	hunting lodge the moon’s light frozen to the roof
Senryu Prize	Richard L Matta, San Diego, California	pinewood derby still missing the weight of dad’s touch
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10), listed alphabetically by author	Michael Dudley, Ontario, Canada	Ice Age furrow              in limestone a caterpillar                                     inches along
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	March wind a squirt of milk into the pail
	Scott Mason, Somers, New York	day moon over the baby just burped
	Marita Gargiulo, Hamden, Connecticut	3 a.m. the rain carries a train whistle
	Cristian Matei, Bucharest, Romania	Home village— from the empty courtyards the scent of linden
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	dying embers…. her story’s cliffhanger
	Peter Newton, Rutland, Vermont	first fish only the boy is livelier
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	bluebell woods a stream leads us this way and that
	Nicholas H. Rossler, Arvada, Colorado	quiet dawn the amber glow of a cicada shell
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3), listed alphabetically by author	Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	my death poem subject to revision hereafter
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	earning my band-aide badge … tree fort
	Zinovy Vayman, Brookline, Massachusetts	nonagenarian he’s started to study his own archives

34th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2023

First Place	Stefanie Bucifal, Konstanz, Germany	the moon crossing the river crossing the moon
Second Place	Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia	crack in the sidewalk where wildness finds a way
Third Place	Helen Ogden, Pacific Grove, California	still traveling at the speed of light … that wish
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10), listed alphabetically by author	John Barlow, Ormskirk, Lancashire, U.K.	even now the cello’s last note
	Alan S. Bridges, Westford, Massachusetts	nor’easter … throwing whatnot into a crockpot
	Kanchan Chatterjee, Jamshedpur, India	autumn drizzle … dim bulb in the shack by the river
	Earl Keener, Bethany, West Virginia	field notes so much is written on the snow
	Barrie Levine, Wenham, Massachusetts	split rail fence the neighbors winter drifts into mine
	Scott Mason, Somers, New York	icicles who knew about the codicil
	Helen Ogden, Pacific Grove, California	night clouds the moon now this now that …
	Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia	moonless night hightide brings the darkness closer
	Lawrence Rungren, Stoneham, Massachusetts	autumn storm the wavering flame of the kerosene lamp
	Paula Sears, Exeter, New Hampshire	golden hour … a deer path leads through our pear trees
Senryu Prize	Shawn Blair, Cohoes, New York	at the end of my rope a new puppy
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3), listed alphabetically by author	Barrie Levine, Wenham, Massachusetts	all the extras that outlived her … grandma’s button jar
	Ann Magyar, Brighton, Massachusetts	his baseball cards now worth only money
	Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia	my eyes dog’s nose two walks

33rd Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2021

First Place	Ann Magyar, Brighton, Massachusetts	listening for the peepers he can no longer hear twilight
Second Place	John Barlow, Lancashire, U.K.	a dipper skimming the river spring rain
Third Place	Peter Newton, Rutland, Vermont	breaking news the crow’s whole body into its caw
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Marilyn Ashbaugh, Edwardsburg, Michigan	grandfather’s farm house a foundation of field stones returns to earth
	Marilyn Ashbaugh, Edwardsburg, Michigan	summer heat the willows gather their herds
	John Barlow, Lancashire, U.K.	all of the purples deepening in the thistle distant goldfish song
	Alan S. Bridges, Westford, Massachusetts	spring freshet the river wriggles free of its ice
	Erin Castaldi, Mays Landing, New Jersey	day moon the gentle crack of ice melt
	Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	chain bridge— my shadow hikes the lower canyon
	Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	my fall garden— when everything and nothing are just weeds
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	the old dog sleeping nose to tail winter slips in
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	the turtle’s rock just its size spring light
	Jacquie Pearce, British Columbia, Canada	heatwave searching for somewhere green to place the inchworm
Senryu Prize	Jacquie Pearce, British Columbia, Canada	youth rail pass the unfolding map inside me
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Alan S. Bridges, Westford, Massachusetts	the town I’m pretty sure I grew up in
	Tracey Davidson, Warwickshire, U.K.	wicker coffin even sleeping she is woke
	Lawrence Rungren, Stoneham, Massachusetts	election season a politician’s yard sign blows back and forth in the wind

32nd Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2020

First Prize	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	yesterday’s news outpacing me spring breeze
Second Prize	Jeff Hoagland, Hopewell, N.J.	cricket song night sky turning
Third Prize	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pa.	subway car the baby’s toes jiggle all the way home
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Kanchan Chatterjee, Jharkand, India	at the far end of my childhood courtyard … wild roses
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	leaden sky a scattershot of crows
	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	Indian summer— frantic bees frantic flowers
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	golden hour the barn’s face loses its age
	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	turtle log the dark shininess of the newcomers
	Lawrence Rungren, Stoneham, Massachusetts	summer night feeling the air the thunder moves
	Alan Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	street bazaar the wind lifts a tune from a terracotta pot
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pa.	hilltop meadow light from the sunshower everywhere
	John Barlow, Lancashire, U.K.	goldfinches gleaning dandelion seeds morning stillness
	Ron C. Moss, Tasmania, Australia	cracks of thunder ravens press down on the earth
Senryu Prize	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	quarantine … all the time I never had
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	Pilates for you pasta for me two lockdowns
	Cyril Ioutsen, Moscow, Russian Federation	winter dispute all I see is the puffs of smoke
	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	end of the line the em-dash of a dead mosquito

31st Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2019

First Prize	Ann Magyar, Brighton, Massachusetts	sunlight the crack in a tiny blue egg
Second Prize	John Soules, Wingham, Ontario	lilac the scent almost ready
Third Prize	Debbie Strange, Winnipeg, Manitoba	polar vortex … our footprints not where we left them
Haiku Honorable Mentions (9)	John Barlow, Ormskirk, Lancashire, U.K.	where the foxes make their dens trails in spring dew
	Elizabeth Hart, Beverly, Massachusetts	calmed by weeding the indisputable fact of dirt
	Frank Hooven, Morrisville, Pennsylvania	Maine tidal pool hermit crabs outnumber my toes
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	hometown visit— farm stand blueberries stems still attached
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	a tuft of moss brightening the shortest day
	Douglas Obenhaus, Sabattus, Maine	dusty spade that one you gave me … scent of rain
	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	harvest home the organ grinder’s uneven hand
	Tom Sacramona, Plainville, Massachusetts	it’s not a sickbed and I’m not sick— deep winter
	Tom Sacramona, Plainville, Massachusetts	the galvanized tin tin of the sugaring buckets
	Lawrence Rungren, Stoneham, Massachusetts	caught without an umbrella— notenoughspace betweentheraindrops
Senryu Prize	Marita Gargiulo, Hamden, Connecticut	Times Square chestnut vendor dad’s accent returns with the change
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	cabin fever— fetching the kettle before it screams
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	latchkey kid playing all the parts in the sitcom
	Lawrence Rungren, Stoneham, Massachusetts	costumed tour guide Colonial dress almost covering her tattoos

30th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2018

Results published	The Fenway News 44:6, June 2018
First Prize	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	first frost a storm window snaps into place
Second Prize	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	the horses’ field cropped to dust lingering heat
Third Prize	Debbie Strange, Winnipeg, Manitoba	circles of lichen I thought we would have more time
Senryu Prize	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	creature comfort an old recliner left in the alley
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	leaning on my snow shovel a faint crescent moon
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	the only colour in this dazzling light winter finches
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	the dawn flight of a tawny owl snow gives way to rain
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	frost heaves     Persephone’s              #MeToo
	Anh Nguyen, Cambridge, Massachusetts	waits out the window and startles you autumn’s full moon
	Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	hunter’s moon my father’s name faded on the Menin Gate
	Campbell Mann, Boston, Massachusetts	cold morning— in the blue bowl persimmons
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	a triple-skipped rock early light on the harbor
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	dune shack another nor’easter brings it to the brink
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	last day of summer the pocket jingle of chosen shells
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	junior year abroad my daughter brings home an Irish accent
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	newfangled word my grandmother used
	Sarah Paul, London, U.K.	the only time i relax dough rising

29th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2017

First Prize	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	midsummer the glide between breast strokes
Second Prize	Michele Harvey, Hamilton, New York	buying the dust along with the book… day moon
Third Prize	Alan Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	what was what is icicle
Senryu Award	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts.	pets long since gone but living on… as passwords
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	a to do list longer than my life autumn rain
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	snow softening the teasels
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	as if they were one winter waxwings
	Jennifer Hambrick, Worthington, Ohio	a braille of larks in summer sky his touch
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	kindly stopping        for me mourning cloak
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	coastal scrub a hawk’s shadow stills the sagebrush
	Meik Blöttenberger, Hanover, Pennsylvania	first light about to touch butterfly eggs
	Patricia Gillespie, Hexham, U.K.	first light about to touch butterfly eggs
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	spring chill a duck’s glide gets a boost from the wind
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	just before dawn the barn swallows the bats
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Michele Harvey, Hamilton, New York	bringing the wild back into bed indoor/outdoor cat
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	small town diner two guys question central intelligence
	Marian Olson, Santa Fe, N.M.	Valentine’s Day his heart inside the tiniest box

28th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2016

First Prize	Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	scraping the dark from a cast-iron pot cherry blossoms
Second Prize	Michele Harvey, Hamilton, New York	more silence than song night owl
Third Prize	Adrian Dziewanski, Vancouver, British Columnia	the route … letting spring remap it
Senryu Prize	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	two roads diverged      I let the dog          choose
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	a flatbed on a flatbed autumn rain
	Tracy Davidson, Stratford-upon-Avon, U.K.	the smell of roast chestnuts grandma remembers my name day
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	country graveyard the oldest stones under tall pines
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	passing through a crenelated shadow         ghost crab
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	winter afternoon a quick spin on the kaleidoscope
	Meik Blöttenberger, Hanover, Pennsylvania	frog eggs bobbing beneath the milk moon
	Earl R. Keener, Bethany, West Virginia	loneliness aubergine or squash
	Hannah Mahoney, Cambridge, Massachusetts	high summer the dark space under the ferns
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	where muskets once fired   milkweed fluff
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	a hole to see through … winter star
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	winter ending another last squeeze of toothpaste
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	pink spray paint the time ‘I ♥︎ you 4–ever’ lasts
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	time to decide who leads the free world Year of the Monkey

27th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2015

First Prize	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	full flower moon a soft-shelled crab emerges from itself
Second Prize	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	dry season each cowherd’s song to the well
Third Prize	Mike Blöttenberger, Hanover, Pennslvania	birdsong before dawn all the lives I’ve lived
Senryu Award	Ernest Berry, Picton, New Zealand	dementia wild daisies on my grave
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Sheila K. Barksdale, Gainesville, Florida	slowly, slowly through lilies-of-the-valley toad at noon
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	between headstones a snow angel
	Beverly George, Umina Beach, Australia	special education class— on the beach … wind in my hair her first haiku
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	gathering clouds he clucks his horse into a trot
	Earl R. Keener, Bethany, West Virginia	the silence of black-eyed Susans autumn moon
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	tail of a hurricane the place where butterflies flit scattered with plums
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	coloring outside the lines Alzheimer’s
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	day moon … fiddleheads unfurl in their time
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	rail bed cinder… a killdeer leads me away from her eggs
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	advent calendar a little door opens to            1964
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	slanted light the bitter taste of morphine
	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	political banter paradiddle
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	the care she takes in cutting her paper heart

26th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2014

First Prize	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	spring peepers I open the window to starlight
Second Prize	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	more and more willing to leave this life … light snow
Third Prize	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	onshore breeze rippling through dune grass a fox
Senryu Prize	John Soules, Wingham, Ontario	GPS where would I be without it
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	sunfish all facing upstream morning light
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	prairie wind from a cloud a brushstroke of rain
	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	wrinkle the path her tear takes
	Beverley George, Umina Beach, Australia	autumn chill he holds her x-ray and her hand
	Gwen Gurnack, Boston, Massachusetts	straight and tall the whole winter long … row house garden weeds
	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	birdsong he fine tunes his hearing aid
	Jeff Hoagland, Hopewell, New Jersey	skinny dipping forget-me-nots in the sun
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	late autumn telling my folks “order anything you want”
	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	end of autumn a barber sweeps the grey across the floor
	Zinovy Vayman, Allston, Massachusetts	Passover moon I pee into my shadow
Senryu Honorable Mentions (5)	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	cabin fever— the radiator hisses back
	Alan Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	now how to rise from my snow angel
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	conceptual art the gallery filled with titling heads
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	the blank where I’m supposed to sign filled with doubt
	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	the time it takes for jello to set — first condolences

25th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2013

First Prize	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	dead of winter we scoop out the marrow
Second Prize	Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts	company for lunch a dozen eggs knock against the pot
Third Prize	John Soules, Wingham, Ontario	spring fields all day the farmer checks the sky
Senryu Award	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	bedside vigil i check the time by his watch
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Sheila K. Barksdale, Gainesville, Florida	one dragonfly replacing another bend of the moat
	John Soules, Wingham, Ontario	winter stars the evening news so distant
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	catching the sun        the majorette’s               dropped baton
	Ron Moss, Tasmania, Australia	endless rain the horses sink deeper in their skins
	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	the you you would have been        earthshine
	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	miners’ hut one bullet hole leaks sunlight
	Michele Harvey, Hamilton, New York	missing you … at leaf’s end, an inchworm wags into wind
	Đurđa Vukelić Rožić, Ivanić Grad, Croatia	on a country road— cow scratches herself at blossoming plum tree
	Paul Miller, Bristol, Rhode Island	snow clouds the locked barn of a carousel
	Jeff Hoagland, Hopewell, New Jersey	moonlight on her soft pale skin luna moth
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio	power suit she pulls the dangling thread
	Nan Dozier, Shreveport, Louisiana	his folded hands blessing our food she slips me a French fry
	Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	trifocals not even my hindsight 20/20

24th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2012

First Prize	Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York	moonflower— the baby’s hand closes around air
Second Prize	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	freezing rain beading on the blackbird’s back
Third Prize	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	hot wind a pine cone waddles to the pond
Senryu Prize	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	morning after all my empties full of sun
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	milky way the light from one farm stretches down the valley
	Christine L. Villa, North Highlands, California	new moon — changing the photo inside her heart locket
	Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania	asylum window a woman scrapes the ice flowers
	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pennsylvania	so cold those winter stars so close
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	something adrift beyond the break gibbous moon
	Paul Miller, Bristol, Rhode Island	snowdrop stems a little longer today the warming sun
	Ayaz Daryl Nielsen, Boulder, Colorado	this long drought — tumbleweeds still tumbling
	Adelaide Shaw, Millbrook, New York	stacking stones for a garden wall the weight of their age
	André Surridge, Hamilton, New Zealand	one by one   summer raindrops darken the pavement
	Quendryth Young, Alstonville, Australia	summer rain each corner drips to its own tempo
Senryu Honorable Mentions (3)	Gwen Gurnack, Boston, Massachusetts	her texted outrage sent with a well placed tap
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	reincarnation lecture      I could see her dress             in a quilt
	Marilyn A. Walker, Madison, Ga.	her fingers move as if counting … dusk light

23rd Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2011

First Prize	John Soules, Wingham, Ontario	spring equinox the clack of marbles
Second Prize	Beverly George, Umina Beach, Australia	closing day vine tomatoes warm my hands
Third Prize	Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts	answering a question with a question hermit thrush
Senryu Prize	Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey	new carnival the fortune teller asks the way
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Gwen Gurnack, Boston, Massachusetts	lake trout rising to fire flies among the stars
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	yard sale the empty fishbowl still wet
	Paulette S. Brown, California	circle of leaves the dog finally catches his tail
	John Barlow, Ormskirk, U.K.	cloud light the cows turned out in the harvested field
	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	a black split down the boulder’s center … end of winter
	Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, Poole, England	evening snow the dark turns lighter
	Douglas Obenhaus, Sabattus, Maine	abandoned trailer lot— first snow covers the television set
	Roland Packer,  Hamilton, Ontario	the youngest so far from home evening star
	Verica Živković, Starčevo kod Pančeva, Serbia	an ocean  between us— ripe mulberries again
	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	bulldozer a yellow caterpillar in its tracks

22nd Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2010

First Prize	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	receding thunder … one bullfrog then another
Second Prize	Roger Kessel, Osterville, Massachusetts	daybreak between mist and pond a loon’s wake
Third Prize	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pa.	autumn rain on the headstone his name darkens
The Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	autumn rain on the headstone his name darkens
Senryu Prize	Guy Simser, Ottawa, Ontario	christmas hymns      the lady beside him robustly tone deaf
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	Raquel Bailey, Tallahassee, Florida	crack of thunder  a vee of geese  breaks
	Michael McClintock, Clovis, California	sweet pea vines the skilled hands of my wife
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	plum blossoms falling … her fingers lift from the Braille
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	crescent moon … a horseshoe crab             returns to the sea
	Keith Heiberg, Brighton, Massachusetts	Mom’s old farm the gentle curve of the earth
	Michael McClintock, Clovis, California	airing the house I hear the men far away tilling fields
	Darold D. Braida, Honolulu, Hawaii	sweltering heat— a black and yellow field spider bundles a grasshopper
	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	deserted church the yew’s shadow moves in a pew
	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pennsylvania	another spring his bottle of after shave still on the shelf
	Peter Newton, Winchendon, Massachusetts	wood’s edge— stepping inside the sound of river

21st Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2009

Judges	John Ziemba, Gary Tucker, Katie Sloss, and Kate Finnegan
First Prize ($250)	Verica Živković, Starčevo kod Pančeva, Serbia	rising sun— the sunflowers’ dark heads
Second Prize ($150)	Desiree McMurry, Franklin, Missouri	youngest daughter passing through the willow shoots
Third Prize ($50)	An’ya, La Pine, Oregon	vernal pool— the hardy lily cradles a young sun
Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award ($50)	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	birdsong a shovel leans in the snow
Senryu Award ($50)	Tanu Deo Sharma, Topeka, Kansas	smokers’ lounge everyone leaves behind a bit of ash
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	John Bird, Lennox Head, NSW, Australia	lifting fog the cormorant on his rock
	John Bird, Lennox Head, NSW, Australia	sunlit steps a church elder prods the sleeping dog
	Darold D. Braida, Honolulu, Hawaii	midday heat – – – milk cows chew their cuds under the oak trees
	Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey	morning moon the soap bar floating just barely there
	Catherine J. S. Lee, Eastport, Maine	day moon the girls next door spin hula hoops
	Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York	the surrounding city … slate headstones tilted every which way
	Paul Miller, Bristol, Rhode Island	overgrown thicket the intersection of old stone walls
	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	first spring day the same little nest of faded twigs
	Natalia L. Rudychev, Des Plaines, Illinois	a wave passing waves full moon
	Wendy Smith, Rochester, New York	chasing pigeons a little girl releases her father’s hand

20th Kaji Aso Studio Haiku Contest, 2008

First Prize	Patricia Neubauer, Coplay, Pennsylvania	the stone cutter’s yard— polished granite blocks reflect a blossoming peach
Second Prize	Keith Heiberg, Brighton, Massachusetts	the pallbearers— last year’s acorns crunch underfoot
Third Prize	John Barlow, Liverpool, England	mountain rain the rising magpie’s bloodied bill
Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	killing frost today a steady rain     of yellow leaves
Senryu Award	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	divorce day— no more staples    in our gun
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	an’ya, La Pine, Ore.	metal roof— the alternating feet of a magpie
	John Barlow, Liverpool, England	summer’s end a float and line dangle from the pine
	John Bird, Lennox Head, NSW, Australia	sudden shower the steel underbelly of a bridge
	Keith Heiberg, Brighton, Massachusetts	the pallbearers— last year’s acorns crunch underfoot
	Catherine J. S. Lee, Eastport, Maine	road work three crows study a pavement reflector
	Darrell Lindsey, Nacogdoches, Texas	blowing through the holes of the nomad’s flute— autumn wind
	Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario	missing face of the snowman— pleiades
	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	back-to-back blizzards under one of those mounds a stone Buddha
	Sandra Simpson, Tauranga, New Zealand	the colour of the hill pioneer graves
	Tony A. Thompson, Lufkin, Texas	snow-viewing with a stranger the silence between us

19th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2007

First Prize ($250 and a gift)	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	old cat catching birds with her eyes
Second Prize ($150 and a gift)	Darja Kocjančič, Ljubljana, Slovenia	early autumn under the old pear tree scent of brandy
Third Prize (250 and a gift)	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pa.	spring cleaning just ahead of the broom a long-legged spider
Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award	André Surridge, Hamilton, New Zealand	lavender stalk the weight of one white butterfly
Haiku Honorable Mentions (10)	an’ya, La Pine, Ore.	Groundhog Day — six more springs until my social security
	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	stillness one cicada across the lake
	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pennsylvania	a pale moth clings to the screen September rain
	Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey	adrift in an old rowboat I follow the moon
	Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine	a solitary walk among stubbled fields the firs start
	Nancy Prasad, Toronto, Ontario	always a few steps ahead of me grasshopper
	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	old cemetery the broken iron gate never closed
	Orekhovaya Sonya, Moscow, Russia	my closet it keeps so many of my single socks
	Nancy StewartSmith, Athens, Georgia	after the rain each leaf has caught a bit of sky
	André Surridge, Hamilton, New Zealand	falling asleep the rhythm of her breath on my forearm

18th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2006

First Prize ($250 and a gift)	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	sunlit clouds snow in every crack of stone Buddha
Second Prize ($150 and a gift)	Wanda D. Cook, Hadley, Massachusetts	morning fog joining our gardens the scent of lavender
Third Prize ($50 and a gift)	Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine	winter stars a faint snore from the bedroom
The Elizabeth Searle Lamb Award	Verica Živković, Starčevo kod Pančeva, Serbia and Montenegro	raindrops on the leaves of sunflower po-tan, po-tan
Haiku Honorable Mentions (9)	Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia	pleasantly drunk … fireflies come out of the moon
	Beverley George, Pearl Beach, NSW, Australia	study window— still missing the green spider that lived in it
	Kenneth Elba Carrier, Wakefield, Massachusetts	fluttering in the spider’s web a butterfly wing
	Nancy Prasad, Toronto, Ontario	left out overnight the child’s cup filled up with snow
	Gerd Börner, Berlin, Germany	in the shoebox photos from a different life
	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	neighbour’s cat the cicada in its teeth keeps singing
	Zhanna P. Rader, Athens, Georgia	Quiet pier— the Milky Way spills into the sea
	Marie Summers, Excelsior Springs, Missouri	shorter days the wind carries butterflies
	Deb Baker, Americus, Gerogia	morning fog the muffled sound of the train
	Natalya Sedenkova, Samara, Russia	late autumn a tea leaf in my cup opens up

The following prizes were also awarded in 2006 but were not listed in the Kaji Aso Studio website report of contest winners: 

Kaji Aso Remembrance Prize	Marlene Egger, Salt Lake City, Utah	shortest day the doctor says he’ll live
Haikai Boston Prize	Anne LB Davidson, Saco, Maine	November chill … through open windows fog’s silence
Haiku Villages, Inc. Prize	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pennsylvania	solstice a winter robin cracks the skim ice
Suseki Publishing Prize	H. F. Noyes, Politia, Attakis, Greece	Aegean dusk— flame and rock tones breach the silence

17th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2005

Judge	Kaji Aso
First Prize	Elizabeth Searle Lamb, Santa Fe, New Mexico	only a junco’s wing this small snow-blizzard from the lilac
Second Prize	Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa	moment of rest                    wind and scarecrow
Third Prize	Scott Glander, Evanston, Illinois	morning sun—the first red maple
Honorable Mentions (10)	Robert Bauer, Wheeling, West Virginia	early thaw last year’s potatoes sprout in a hutch
	an’ya, Crescent, Oregon	winter evening the house cat sinks its teeth deeper into me
	Wanda D. Cook, Hadley, Massachusetts	carrying the harvest rhythm of her hips
	Verica Živković, Starčevo kod Pančeva, Serbia and Montenegro	a buzzing bumble bee dandelion fluff covers the ripe blackberry
	Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	frigid night — a drip in the sink fills the whole house
	Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine	cool morning a caterpillar asleep under Buddha’s ear
	Maria Steyn, Johannesburg, South Africa	lakeside the irises find their color at dusk
	Rick Tarquinio, Bridgeton, New Jersey	traveling exhibit a spider in the bonsai tree
	Thom Williams, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania	lovers looking up not kissing — spring moon
	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pennsylvania	house for sale the pear tree in blossom we make an offer

16th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2004

First Prize	Olga Hooper, Okemos, Michigan	Monkey Year divorced again for the same reason
Second Prize	Verica Živković, Starčevo kod Pančeva, Serbia and Montenegro	晴れ行くや 向日葵の上 雹融くる (sky clears up hail on the sunflower melting)
Third Prize	Stanford M. Forrester, Windsor, Connecticut	cracked Buddha skull i look inside the emptiness
Honorable Mentions (10)	Ernest J Berry, Picton, New Zealand	Mother’s parasol we unfurl the dust of summers past
	Michael Fessler, Kanagawa, Japan	the shadow of the bookmark’s tassel deepening snow
	Tengu, Donetsk, Ukraine	asking old woman about her youth— she keeps smiling
	Olga Hooper, Okemos, Michigan	refugee office— little girl telling us   she had a kitten
	Jim Kacian, Winchester, Va.	late summer high clouds wisp into nothing
	Adelaide Shaw, Millbrook, New York	a sudden warming— the snowman shrinks into his clothes
	Tei Matsushita Scott, Reston, Va.	cloudburst racing with leaves   a bird swishes by
	Barome, Russia	Autumn. A little birch does not know How to shed its leaves.
	Hiroko Okahashi, Cambridge, Massachusetts	ならぬ恋 思ひは 春の雨となり (unrequited love my heart becomes a gentle spring rain)
	Michael McClintock, Clovis, Calif	my netsuke mouse never squeaks, no … a winter night

15th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2003

First Prize	Darold D. Braida, Honolulu, Hawaii	wild onions on the milk cow’s breath — early spring
Second Prize	Evelyn H. Hermann, San Rafael, Calif.	a baby’s cry first crocus on the snow bank
Third Prize	Stanford M. Forrester, Windsor, Conn.	morning light all the stone buddhas robed in gold
Honorable Mention (10)	Louise Beaven, Toronto, Ontario	back at the antique shop to see what’s new
	John Bird, Lennox Head, NSW, Australia	winter camellia sunlight from far away touches her face
	Anne LB Davidson, Saco, Maine	outside the courthouse smoker after smoker in the winter rain
	Joyce Austin Gilbert, Cochranville, Pa.	after his death the too-ripe tomatoes on the vine
	Peggy Heinrich, Westport, Conn.	around the fire the widening circle of silence
	Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine	frost in my hair— I pick the last bunch of wild grapes
	Karen Klein, Cambridge, Massachusetts	cold snap dog’s pee on the snow closer to the door
	Patricia Prime, Auckland, New Zealand	new concrete drive surviving along its edge violets
	Edward J. Rielly, Westbrook, Maine	honking the geese barely visible, invisible my longing
	Emily Romano, Boonton, N.J.	lotus after lotus a dragonfly’s shadow lighter than air

14th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2002

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Honorable Mentions (10)	Jim Kacian	passing freight train— the rhythm of the moon
	Zdravko Kurnik	forest path for half an hour two snails passing each other
	Timothy Russell	zen garden bees disassemble a monarch butterfly
	Tomislav Z. Vujčić	in prison spring rain takes me back    to my youth
	Sheila Windsor	bedroom curtains    apart just enough       crescent moon

13th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2001

First Prize	an’ya	Ghost Town … and yet an aroma of fried potatoes
Second Prize	Zoltan Baba	mi, sol, si, re, fa— swallows sing from the power line
Third Prize	Tom Painting	solicitation a campaign volunteer flashes her teeth
Honorable Mentions (10)	an’ya	ping of spring rain in a tin cup … a hissing campfire
	Juanito Escoreal	floating in the heat wave aloe vera blossoms
	Liz Fenn	found at last: the matching grey sock with matching holes
	Joann Klontz	unpacking— the cockroach has also moved cross country
	Carol A. Purington	Late snow on last year’s cornfield the blackness of crows
	Dragan J. Ristić	sudden power failure— only a baldhead is shining
	Bruce Ross	this old house a square of golden sunset on the wall
	Grant D. Savage	black where it ruffles the old newfoundland’s fur spring breeze
	Gene Williamson	in the dumpster the bag lady picks up an empty purse
	Michael Dylan Welch	a few pines tagged with ribbons … winter stillness

12th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 2000

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Honorable Mentions

11th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1999

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Honorable Mentions

10th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1998

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

9th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1997

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

8th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1996

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

7th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1995

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

6th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1994

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

5th Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1993

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up

4th Kaji Aso Studio’s International Haiku Contest, 1992

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up	Francine Banwarth	cancer patient leaves her fortune cookie uneaten
	Francine Banwarth	confession: she knots his tie
	Peter Yovu	Indian summer a monarch floats over the empty pool
	Peter Yovu	March thaw — a cow licks the stone coming through

3rd Kaji Aso Studio’s International Haiku Contest, 1991

First Prize	Peter Yovu	darkening sea the low note of a wine bottle
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runner-up	James Chessing	summer fog   turning in the wind     the battered pinata
	Jerry Kilbride	empty bullring — crickets
Senryu First Prize	Dee Evetts	with a flourish the waitress leaves behind rearranged smears

3rd Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1990²

First Prize	Chad Greenwald
Second Prize	Michael Dylan Welch	summer moonlight      the potter’s wheel           slows
Third Prize	Jerry Kilbride
Haiku Runners-up (12)	Carol Dagenhardt
	Penny Harter
	Evelyn Hermann
	Vanessa Herold
	Kristine Kimmel
	Margaret Molarsky
	Bill Pauly
	Alexis Rotella	Lost in summer rain a little girl with a goldfish.
	Keiko Sakamoto
	John Scarlett
	Dave Sutter
	Carolyn Talmadge
Senryu First Prize	Dee Evetts	with a flourish the waitress leaves behind rearranged smears
Senryu Runners-up (3)	Barry Goodman
	Kenneth C. Leibman
	Alexis Rotella

2nd Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1989

First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Runners-up	Caroline Giles Banks	His turn to cook again he can’t find      the thyme
	Raymond Stovich	match flicker — in the distance thunder

1st Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest, 1988

First Prize
Second Prize	Kris Kondo	bobbing in the washing machine acorn collection
Third Prize
Runners-up	Elizabeth Searle Lamb	so heavily the two buzzards lift from the deer carcass

Compiled by: Kaji Aso Studio

Adapted from: Kaji Aso Studio website

Sources / Further Reading

• Special thanks to Kate Finnegan, Executive Director of the Kaji Aso Studio, for providing contest results and other guidance in preparing this article.
• Kaji Aso Studio website
• “Kaji Aso Studio 34th International Haiku Contest,” The Fenway News, June 2023, 7, and website.

Related Haikupedia Articles

• Kaji Aso Studio and Institute for the Arts

• Boston Haiku Society

1. Prizewinners’ names were reported in Frogpond 13:3 (August 1990). [↩]
2. Prizewinners’ names were reported in Frogpond 13:3 (August 1990). [↩]