This annual haiku competition was established in 2019 in the city of Morioka, northern Honshu, Japan, and is administered by the Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee. There are separate sections for Japanese adults, Japanese youth, and English-language poets. This Haikupedia article presents general information and results only for the English Section.
Table of Contents
- General Information
- 6th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2024 (English Section)
- 5th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2023 (English Section)
- 4th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2022 (English Section)
- 3rd Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2021 (English Section)
- 2nd Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2020 (English Section)
- 1st Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2019 (English Section)
General Information
The following information is taken from the website for the fifth running of the English Section of the Marioka International Haiku Contest.
| Contest sponsor | Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee |
| Submissions | Submissions are made using the form available on the contest website. A submission consists of one or two haiku in English, but an applicant may submit more than one form. Submission are to consist of original, previously unpublished haiku (“published” includes work shared on social networks). There is no contest theme or subject and no requirements for specific syllable count or format. If submitted work is found to have been copied or plagiarized, it will be disqualified and awards will be rescinded. |
| Fee | Submissions are free. |
| Adjudication | One or more judges are announced in advance of the competition. |
| Awards | One Grand Prize, five Second Prizes / Special Selections, and twelve Honorable Mentions are awarded. |
| Prizes | Determined following the competition. |
| Submission deadline | Usually the end of August in the competition year. |
| Results announced / archived | Formal announcement at an awards ceremony in November or December. Results are archived on the contests webhttps://morioka-haiku.jp/en/site. |
More information about the Morioka International Haiku Contest, including submission rules, judges’ comments on the winning haiku, and Japanese versions of the haiku by Kimura Toshio is available at the Morioka and Graceguts websites (see Sources below).
6th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2024 (English Section)
| Judges | Michael Dylan Welch KimuraToshio | |
| Sponsor | Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee | |
| Number of entries | Nearly 1,000 | |
| Awards announced | November 16, 2024, Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize (selected by Judge Michael Dylan Welch) | Sam Renda, South Africa | mayfly wings his talk of death turns matter-of-fact |
| Special Selection by Judge Michael Dylan Welch (2) | Reneu do Amaral Berni, Brazil | at the small waterfall like owners of the world the boy and his dog |
| 山田由紀子 Yamada Yukiko, Japan | a local bus with no passengers … autumn sunset | |
| Special Selection by Judge Kimura Toshio (3) | Nina Kovačić, Croatia | open window scent of rose from darkness delays my dream |
| 深谷健 Fukaya Ken, Japan | cherry blossoms fall … magician is still looking for the card | |
| Saumya Bansal, India | window pane her finger traces the path of a bee | |
| Honourable Mention by Judge Michael Dylan Welch (6) | Kat Lehmann, U.S.A. | morning moon each stone on this beach the perfect size |
| Julie Anne Bates, New Zealand | winter sun old chair the shape of sadness | |
| Boris Nazansky, Croatia | puddle in the park one yellow leaf returned to the treetop | |
| Ed Bremson, U.S.A. | the silence of the birds, Gaza dawn | |
| Gregory Piko, Australia | dinner for two the stars in the sky grow brighter | |
| Shloka Shankar, India | wild aster the letter I never wrote | |
| Honourable Mention by Judge Kimura Toshio (5) | 吉田悠斗 Yashida Yuto, Japan | butterfly I almost forgot spring twilight |
| Maria Tosti, Italy | armistice— lotus flowers open toward the sky | |
| Hartmut Fillhardt, Germany | on the bar counter next to the empty glass a vase | |
| Cristian Matei, Romania | lullaby— the baby’s hand toward the cherry branch | |
| Nikola Ðuretić, Croatia | Sunny summer morn— perhaps no doubts today. | |
| Ngô Bình Anh Khoa, Vietnam | grandfather’s gravestone the weight of raindrops bends the grass |
5th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2023 (English Section)
| Judges | Michael Dylan Welch KimuraToshio | |
| Sponsor | Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee | |
| Number of entries | Nearly 1,000 | |
| Awards announced | November 12, 2023, Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize (selected by Judge Michael Dylan Welch) | Mircea Moldovan, Romania | a suitcase on the nursing home steps autumn chill |
| Special Selection by Judge Michael Dylan Welch (2) | Danny Blackwell, Spain | hailstones the basilica busier than usual |
| Stefanie Bucifal, Germany | spring morning a hint of lilac in the old man’s tune | |
| Special Selection by Judge Kimura Toshio (3) | Lakshmi Iyer, India | new moon an oyster cuddles the nautical light |
| Meagan Bussert, U.S.A. | warbler’s nest a bus ticket tucked within | |
| Sebastian Chrobak, Poland | her old diary open closed open butterfly’s wings | |
| Honourable Mention by Judge Michael Dylan Welch (6) | Boris Nazansky, Croatia | an empty swing first cherry petals come and go |
Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, India | dusk a swing slows to a stop in the empty park | |
| Scott Mason, U.S.A. | surf’s up a little boy tries to move his castle | |
| Stephen Toft, U.K. | mating eagles skywriting the end of winter | |
| Sebastian Chrobak, Poland | Hiroshima Day still not enough paper cranes | |
| Joshua Gage, U.S.A. | fingerprints on the carousel horse … dusty sunbeams | |
| Honourable Mention by Judge Kimura Toshio (6) | Shravani Rao Vydula, U.S.A. | blade of grass snail’s delicate crawl balancing the universe |
| Agnes Eva Savich, U.S.A. | tea ceremony the forest at my fingertips | |
Satyanarayana Chittaluri, India | a crow cawing and cawing what did she lose? | |
Claire Vogel Camargo, U.S.A. | children’s laughter the choreography of snowflakes | |
| Sebastian Chrobak, Poland | whispering secrets a squirrel hides an acorn that no one will find | |
| Jenny Fraser, New Zealand | in and out of the vastness a blackbird calls |
4th Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2022 (English Section)
| Judges | Michael Dylan Welch Kimura Toshio | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Awards announced | November 20, 2022, Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize (selected by Judge Michael Dylan Welch) | Sasha A. Palmer, U.S.A. | shooting star the brush of your sleeve against mine |
| Special Selection (5) | Goran Gatalica, Croatia | lifting fog — the mustangs at full gallop |
| Cesar S. Ciobîcă, Romania | summer’s end a skipping stone left on my bro’s grave | |
| Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, India | rain-drenched laundry I carry the monsoon inside | |
| Neal Whitman, U.S.A. | the jazz station cuts in and out blue Monday | |
| Benjamin Bläsi, Switzerland | sunlit shore the weight of the spring sea that knows no border | |
| Honourable Mention (12) | Kyla Gruta, Philippines | bronze medalist happier than the one with silver |
| Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines | the stillness of her rocking chair parting clouds | |
Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines | apple blossoms she gets a second opinion | |
| Nina Kovačić, Croatia | autumn rain the river pours its color into the sea | |
| Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India | forget-me-nots the garden mower put to rest | |
| Li Xiao, Russia | winter sun … choosing peaches for a pregnant daughter | |
| Eduard Țară, Romania | daisy petals peace war peace war peace | |
| Stoianka Boianova, Bulgaria | autumn fog a mountain without peaks in the distance | |
| Neal Whitman, U.S.A. | the wave returns to the sea no regrets | |
| Ash Evan Lippert, U.S.A. | thunder deep in the roses a wild scent of rainbows | |
| Anthony Q. Rabang, Philippines | on the churchyard kneeling … pigeons join me | |
| Rob Scott, Australia | winter doldrums the wind reads my mind |
3rd Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2021 (English Section)
| Judges | Michael Dylan Welch Kimura Toshio | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Awards announced | December 26, 2021, Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize | Mona Bedi, India | summer wedding her saree the colour of a red hibiscus |
| Special Selection (5) | Jonathan Aylett, England | evening pond a leaf falls onto the moon |
| Eduard Țară, Romania | the bounds of infinity loon’s call | |
| Barbara Strang, New Zealand | deserted playground two cups on the table filled with sand | |
| Anthony Q. Rabang, Philippines | loud voices of what-ifs waterfall crashing | |
| John Barlow, England | autumn chill the bell of a fire engine from a distant carousel | |
| Honourable Mention (12) | Eduard Țară, Romania | falling leaf a piece of silence changes its place |
| Marion Clarke, Northern Ireland | winter moon … the soft glow from a cottage window | |
| Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria | winter solstice the horse’s eyelashes hold the light | |
| Sandra Simpson, New Zealand | rolling the pebbles around in my hand— magpie song | |
| Helen Buckingham, England | dawn chill the potter returns to her kiln | |
| Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro | October dusk my dog lets a stray bring back the stick | |
| Alan Summers, England | river moon a guitarist’s plectrum in the gleam | |
| Owen Bullock, New Zealand | winter almost over you’re not enlightened she says | |
| Ramesh Anand, India | old boathouse the abundance of silence | |
| Barbara Strang, New Zealand | first date the scent of peaches through the market | |
| Saumya Bansal, India | evening smog— mistaking the scarecrow for a human | |
| Sandra St-Laurent, Canada | public park shopping cart lady collecting good mornings |
2nd Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2020 (English Section)
| Judges | Michael Dylan Welch Kimura Toshio | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Awards announced | November 8, 2020, Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize | Engin Gülez, Turkey | railway station quietly becoming a part of her silence |
| Second Prize (5) | Beth A. Skala, Canada | baking day grandma kneads and shapes another story |
| Ed Bremson, U.S.A. | Covidwinter . . her one-breath poem in two breaths | |
| Benjamin Bläsi, Germany | a murmuration of starlings hurries south I cut the last rose | |
| Veronika Zora Novak, Canada | cupped hands . . I drink the music of moonlight | |
| Patricia M. Campbell, U.S.A. | hospital garden he quickly lowers his mask and smells the roses | |
| Honourable Mention (12) | Nikola Ðuretić, Croatia | A toad croaking as though he grasped the mystery of life |
| Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, U.S.A. | after the argument your absence black moon | |
| Cyndi Lloyd, U.S.A. | apple blossoms fall an edge of the blanket in her baby’s mouth | |
| Engin Gülez, Turkey | daughter’s deathbed knitting what’s left of the light | |
| Al W. Gallia, Portugal | first raindrop the cricket eases under a leaf | |
| Indra Neil Mekala, India | gaining size as it rolls . . spring dew | |
| Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria | old church in the shadow beside the door overblown dandelion | |
| Jeff Hoagland, U.S.A. | Queen Anne’s lace a hoverfly without wings | |
| Lyle Rumpel, Canada | starlit coyote calls rise from the snowpack | |
| Tomislav Maretić, Croatia | too late a visit— the pond lilied closed | |
| Lyle Rumpel, Canada | window frost stars unfurl in the nursery | |
| Michael H. Lester, U.S.A. | yellow moth— one last flutter before the bird swallows |
1st Morioka International Haiku Contest, 2019 (English Section)
| Judges | Terry Ann Carter, Michael Dylan Welch, and Kiuchi Toru | |
| Sponsor | Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Awards announced | August 4, 2019, Iwate Prefectural Citizens Information Exchange Center (Aina), Morioka, Japan | |
| Grand Prize | Chen-ou Liu, Canada | light of dawn a tai chi master pushes the silence |
| Second Prize (5) | Shirley Johnson, Canada | beyond mountains more mountains— winter moon |
| Mohammad Azim Khan, Pakistan | puppeteer carefully unfolds his puppets from a tin box | |
| Debbie Strange, Canada | snowmelt the wild crocuses you loved | |
| Billy Antonio, Philippines | airport goodbye … the distant sound of wild geese | |
| Kath Abela Wilson, U.S.A. | the deer’s mouth shaped like a kiss cherry blossom | |
| Honourable Mention (12) | Horinouchi Kazuo (堀ノ内和夫), Japan | twilight two male deer fight with hornless heads |
| Taofeek Ayeyemi, Nigeria | Election Day … the callused fingers of a farmer | |
| Natalia Kuznetsova, Russia | lost in dreams … a girl in a wheelchair folding cranes | |
| Nikolay Grankin, Russia | mountain village the cemetery a little higher than the church | |
| Billy Antonio, Philippines | after the rain the potholes fill with sky | |
| Katherine J. Munro (kjmunro), Canada | spring melt a circle of bare earth rings every tree | |
| Carl Seguiban, U.S.A. | spring rain— the beggar finally leaves his spot | |
| Martha Magenta, England | cherry blossoms an old man leans on his cane | |
| Patrick Sweeney, Japan | first dandelion youngest bedwetting brother has died | |
| Meg Arnot, England | mother’s ashes the mountain wind on my hands | |
| Marietta McGregor, Australia | time flows around a heron frost-tipped reeds | |
| Marietta McGregor, Australia | night-dark lake drinking the last of the moon |
Compiled by the Morioka International Haiku Contest Executive Committee
Sources / Further Reading
- Morioka International Haiku Contest website: https://morioka-haiku.jp/en/.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2019 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2019-morioka-international-haiku-contest Report on the inaugural contest by one of the judges; includes the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2020 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2020-morioka-international-haiku-contest. Report on the second contest by one of the judges; includes the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2021 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2021-morioka-international-haiku-contest. Report on the third contest by one of the judges; includes the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2022 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2022-morioka-international-haiku-contest. Report on the fourth contest by one of the judges; includes the original Morioka report with the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2023 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2023-morioka-international-haiku-contest. Report on the fifth contest by one of the judges; includes the original Morioka report with the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.
- Welch, Michael Dylan. “2024 Morioka International Haiku Contest.” Graceguts website, undated: https://www.graceguts.com/reports/2024-morioka-international-haiku-contest. Report on the fifth contest by one of the judges; includes the original Morioka report with the winning haiku and judges’ comments in both English and Japanese.