The first international contest for rengay was inaugurated in 1995 by the Haiku Poets of Northern California. The contest has gone under a variety of names, originally the Haiku Poets of Northern California Rengay Contest, and currently the San Francisco International Rengay Contest.
- Contest Guidelines
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2021
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2020
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2019
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2018
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2017
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2016
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2015
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2014
- 2013 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2012 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2011 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2010 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2009 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2008 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2007 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2006 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2005 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- Haiku Poets of Northern California 2004 Rengay Contest
- Haiku Poets of Northern California 2003 Rengay Contest
- 2002 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- 2001 HPNC Rengay Contest
- 2000 Haiku Poets of Northern California Rengay Contest
- HPNC 1999 International Rengay Contest
- Haiku Poets of Northern California 1998 Rengay Contest
- San Francisco International Rengay Contest 1997
- Haiku Poets of Northern California 1996 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
- Haiku Poets of Northern California 1995 Rengay Contest
Contest Guidelines
The following Rengay Submission Guidelines for the 2022 contest appear on the HPNC website:
All rengay must be titled. For two people (Poet A and Poet B) follow this linked format: 3 lines/Poet A, 2 lines/Poet B, 3/A, 3/B, 2/A, 3/B. For three poets (A, B, and C) the format is: 3 lines/A, 2 lines/B, 3 lines/C, 2/A, 3/B, 2/C.
Type or print each rengay on three letter-size sheets. Include full authorship information, stanza by stanza, as well as all poets’ names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses (optional) on one copy only. On the other two copies, mark stanzas with letters only (poet A, poet B, poet C) to indicate the sequence of authorship.
The entry fee is $5.00 per rengay. Make checks or money orders payable in U.S. dollars to “Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC).” Cash (in U.S. currency) is okay. Enclose a business-size SASE (U.S. first class postage or an IRC) for notification of contest winners. No entries will be returned, with the exception of late submissions, or those received without payment. These will be returned using your SASE; without an SASE these entries will be discarded.
Send rengay submissions to HPNC, c/o Fay Aoyagi, 930 Pine St. #105, San Francisco CA 94108.
Winners of the San Francisco International Rengay Contest, together with the judges’ comments, are posted on the Haiku Poets of Northern California website and published in the HPNC members’ journal, Mariposa.
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2021
Judges | Dan Schwerin and Julie Schwerin | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
Number of entries | Not stated | |
First Place | Laszlo Slomovits, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jennifer Burd, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Michele Root-Bernstein, East Lansing, Michigan | “Far From Shore” |
Second Place | Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, California, and Billie Dee, San Miguel, New Mexico | “Omicron” |
Third Place | Lew Watts, Chicago, Illinois, and Tanya McDonald, Woodinville, Washington | “Forbidden Fruit” |
Honorable Mention (2) | Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, California, and Yvette Nicole Kolodji, Whittier, California | “Kyoto Tourists” |
Naia, Temecula, California, and Billie Dee, San Miguel, New Mexico | “Lineage” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2020
Judge | Lew Watts | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
Number of entries | 45 | |
1st Place | Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, California, and Billie Dee, San Miguel, New Mexico | “Wildfire” |
2nd Place | Agnes Eva Savich, Austin, Texas, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “A Moveable Feast” |
3rd Place | Harriot West, Eugene, Oregon, and Ce Rosenow, Eugene, Oregon | “Mythos” |
Honorable Mention (2) | Kristen Lang, Sheffield, Tasmania, Australia, and Lorraine Haig, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia | “Surf in my Pillow” |
Ignatius Fay, Sudbury, Ontario, and Marcyn Del Clements, Claremont, California | “The Day is Early” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2019
Judge | Seren Fargo | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Dan Schwerin, Greendale, Wisconsin, and Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio | “Moonflowers” |
2nd Place | Bryan Rickert, Bellville, Illinois, and Terri L. French, Sioux City, South Dakota | “Rubbing Rocks” |
3rd Place | Debbie Strange, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Jennifer Hambrick, Worthington, Ohio | “In the Key of Grey” |
Honorable Mention (2) | Lorraine Haig, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia, and Kristen Lang, Sheffield, Tasmania, Australia | “Cleared by the Flood” |
Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts, and Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia | “The Waiting” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2018
Judge | Deborah P Kolodji | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Angela Terry, Lake Forest Park, Washington, and Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio | “Light Through a Crack” |
2nd Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and David Terelinck, Queensland, Australia | “Whiteout” |
3rd Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Sarah Welch (age 13), Sammamish, Washington | “A Summer’s Tale” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Carmen Sterba, University Place, Washington | “Unplayed Harmonica” |
Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts, and Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia | “Water Song” | |
Andrew Riutta, Traverse City, Michigan, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Six of One” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2017
Judge | Billie Wilson | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Gary Evans, Stanwood, Washington, and Seren Fargo, Bellingham, Washington | “Even Starlight Crackles” |
2nd Place | Marilyn Ashbaugh, Edwardsburg, Michigan, and Jeanne Cook, South Bend, Indiana | “Hidden Ice” |
3rd Place | Billie Dee, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, California | “Wisconsin” |
1st Honorable Mention | Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, and Dan Schwerin, Waukesha, Wisconsin | “Two Rivers (A Honkadori Rengay)” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, and Angela Terry, Lake Forest Park, Washington | “Weightless” |
3rd Honorable Mention | Tanya McDonald, Woodinville, Washington, Michelle Schaefer, Bothell, Washington, and Mimi Gorman, Indianola, Washington | “Soak” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2016
Judge | Tanya McDonald | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Simon Hanson, Queensland, Australia, and Beverley George, New South Wales, Australia | “Grand Arcade” |
2nd Place | Sarah Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Giving Thanks” |
3rd Place | John Thompson, Arroyo Grande, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Page Turners” |
Honorable Mention (2) | John Thompson, Arroyo Grande, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Purple Haze” |
Ruth Yarrow, Ithaca, New York, Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Emiko Miyashita, Tokyo, Japan | “Rocking Chair” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2015
Judge | Garry Gay | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Sonja Arntzen, Gabriola Island, British Columbia | “Weighing In” |
2nd Place | Stephanie Baker, San Francisco, California, Sherry Barto, Daly City, California, and Chuck Brickley, Daly City, California | “Lost” |
3rd Place | David Terelinck, Sydney, Australia, and Beverley George, Pearl Beach, NSW, Australia | “A Shared Umbrella” |
Honorable Mention (2) | Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, and Angela Terry, Lake Forest Park, Washington | “No Escape” |
Beverley George, Pearl Beach, NSW, Australia, and David Terelinck, Sydney, Australia | “Underbelly” |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest, 2014
Judges | Beverley George and Ron C. Moss | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Susan Antolin, Walnut Creek, California, Michael Sheffield, Kenwood, California, and Lois Scott, San Francisco, California | “Letter from Home” |
2nd Place | Carol Judkins, Carlsbad, California, and David Terelinck, Pyrmont, NSW, Australia | “A Spill of Moonlight” |
3rd Place | Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio, and Angela Terry, Lake Forest Park, Washington | “Origami” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Sarah Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “A Winter’s Tale” |
John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Visiting Hours” | |
Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy, Birmingham, England, and Sahana Shrikaanth, Birmingham, England | “The Joy of Rain” |
2013 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Ebba Story | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Moonflowers” |
2nd Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Garry Gay, Santa Rosa, California | “Recess Bell” |
3rd Place | Seren Fargo, Bellingham, Washington, and Sheila Sondik, Bellingham, Washington | “Coming to Light” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Michael Sheffield, Kenwood, California, and Susan Antolin, Walnut Creek, California | “Autumn Deepens” |
Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Terry Ann Carter, Victoria, British Columbia | “Starlings Rush” | |
Barbara Snow, Eugene, Oregon, and Marianna Monaco, Eugene, Oregon | “tintinnabulation” |
2012 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | John Stevenson | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Beverley George, New South Wales, Australia, and David Terelinck, New South Wales, Australia | “Snapshot” |
2nd Place | David Terelinck, New South Wales, Australia, and Beverley George, New South Wales, Australia | “Celluloid Moon” |
3rd Place | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Bubble Gum Bubbles” |
Honorable Mention | Angela Terry, Lake Forest Park, Washington, Cara Holman, Portland, Oregon, and Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio | “The Sound of Frost” |
2011 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Renée Owen | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Tracy Koretsky, Bellevue, Washington, Kala Ramesh, Pune, India, and Garry Gay, Santa Rosa, California | “The Last Word” |
2nd Place | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Christopher Herold, Port Townsend, Washington | “The Space Between” |
3rd Place | Linda Papanicolaou, Stanford, California, and Sprite (Claire Chatelet), London, U.K. | “At the Edge” |
Honorable Mention (2) | Beverley George, Pearl Beach, NSW, Australia, and David Terelinck, Alexandria, NSW, Australia | “Sliding into Place” |
Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Amelia Fielden, Buff Point, NSW, Australia | “Two Fat Spaniels” |
2010 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Paul Watsky | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Cherie Hunter Day, Cupertino, California, and Christopher Patchel, Mettawa, Illinois | “Pulse” |
2nd Place | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Hints of Blue” |
3rd Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, Billie Dee, San Diego, California, and Tanya McDonald, Woodinville, Washington | “Swapping Shells” |
Honorable Mention | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Garry Gay, Windsor, California | “Bottoms Up” |
2009 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Billie Wilson | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California, and John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California | “Pausing Mid-Pirouette” |
1st Honorable Mention | Christopher Patchel, Mettawa, Illinois, and Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington | “a pickup game” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Billie Dee, San Diego, California, Josh Wikoff, Petaluma, California, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Thump of a Rose” |
3rd Honorable Mention | Linda Papanicolaou, Stanford, California, and Sprite (Claire Chatelet), London, U.K. | “Concoctions I” (a bilingual rengay, each link in both English and French) |
4th Honorable Mention | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Renée Owen, Sebastopol, California | “Bits of Shell & Ship” |
5th Honorable Mention | Tanya McDonald, Bellevue, Washington, Russell McDonald, Bellevue, Washington, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Spiraling Down” |
2008 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Ebba Story | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place (tie) | Linda Papanicolaou, Stanford, California, Kathy Earsman, Maleny, QLD, Australia, and Colin Stewart Jones, Aberdeen, Scotland | “Rainbow Lorikeets” |
1st Place (tie) | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington | “Returning” |
Honorable Mention | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington, and Connie Donleycott, Bremerton, Washington | “Off the Top of Our Heads” |
2007 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Cherie Hunter Day | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Tom Clausen, Ithaca, New York, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Sixth Sense” |
2nd Place | Billie Wilson, Juneau, Alaska, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Circling” |
3rd Place | Helen K. Davie, Templeton, California, and Lynne Leach, Kentfield, California | “Quilt” |
2006 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Michael Dylan Welch | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Marco Fraticelli, Pointe Claire, Québec | “Only Words” |
2nd Place | Billie Wilson, Juneau, Alaska, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Echoes” |
3rd Place | Pamela Miller Ness, New York, New York, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Loose Ends” |
2005 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judges | Ebba Story and John Thompson | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Dejah Léger, Shoreline, Washington | “Inside Passage” |
2nd Place | Ariel Lambert, Shawnee, Kansas, and Stanford M. Forrester, Windsor, Connecticut | “Paper” |
3rd Place | Vicki McCullough, Vancouver, British Columbia, Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington, Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Prairie Wind” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Joann Klontz, Swedensboro, New Jersey, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “a tempo” |
Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, and Billie Wilson, Juneau, Alaska | “Learned by Heart” | |
Zane Parks, Livermore, California, Kathy Earsman, Maleny, QLD, Australia, and Gino Peregrini [Gene Doty], Rolla, Missouri | “will-o-the-wisp” |
Haiku Poets of Northern California 2004 Rengay Contest
Judge | [not recorded] | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Hortensia Anderson, New York, New York, and Carole MacRury, Point Roberts, Washington | “A Hint of Blue” |
2nd Place | Pamela Miller Ness, New York, New York, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “Idlers in the Gallery” |
3rd Place | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “more of her cleavage” |
1st Honorable Mention | Max Verhart, ’s-Hertogenbosch Netherlands, and Betty Kaplan, Adventura, Florida | “A Spider in the Words” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Ruby Lip Print” |
Haiku Poets of Northern California 2003 Rengay Contest
Judge | Paul Watsky | |
Contest Coordinator | Fay Aoyagi | |
1st Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington, and Ikuyo Yoshimura, Gifu, Japan | “The Hilltop Castle” |
2nd Place | Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, and Ebba Story, San Francisco, California | “Clack of the Rails” |
3rd Place | Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, and Billie Wilson, Juneau, Alaska | “Lingering Light” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Michael L. Evans, Port Orchard Washington, and Connie Donleycott, Bremerton, Washington | “Around May” |
Ebba Story, San Francisco, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Break in the Clouds” | |
Brian Tasker, Beckington, Somerset, England, and Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | “On Broadway” |
2002 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judge | Michael Dylan Welch | |
1st Place | Maria Steyn, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine | “Finger Melodies” |
2nd Place | Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, and Billie Wilson, Juneau, Alaska | “White Flannel Sheets” |
3rd Place | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, | “Dummy Under the Blanket” |
2001 HPNC Rengay Contest
Judges | Garry Gay and Tom Clausen | |
Contest Coordinator | Dan Brady | |
1st Place | Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine, and Maria Steyn, Johannesburg, South Africa | “Cheek to Cheek“ |
2nd Place | Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California, and Ebba Story, San Francisco, California | “Speckled Dawn” |
3rd Place | Kirsty Karkow, Waldoboro, Maine, and Merrill Ann Gonzales, Dayville, Connecticut | “Inch by Inch” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Hanging on Every Word” |
Ellen Compton, Washington, D.C., and Roberta Beary, Bethesda, Maryland | “cats and I” | |
Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Pop Goes the Weasel” |
2000 Haiku Poets of Northern California Rengay Contest
Full information about the 2000 contest is missing.
Judge | Not known | |
1st Place | Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California, and Lenard D. Moore, Raleigh, North Carolina | “Cornstalk Twisting” |
HPNC 1999 International Rengay Contest
Only Honorable Mentions were awarded in 1999.
Judges | Helen K. Davie, Templeton, California, and Rich Krivcher, Citrus Heights, California | |
1st Honorable Mention (tie) | Cherie Hunter Day, Menlo Park, California, and D. Claire Gallagher, Sunnyvale, California | “Deep Woods” |
1st Honorable Mention (tie) | Alice Benedict, Richmond, California, and Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | “Lacy Underthings” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Leatrice Lifshitz, Pomona, New York, and Anne French | “Undercurrent” |
Haiku Poets of Northern California 1998 Rengay Contest
Judges | John Stevenson and Ebba Story | |
1st Place | Rich Krivcher, Citrus Heights, California, John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California | “Dying Spark” |
Honorable Mention (3) | John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California, and Garry Gay, Santa Rosa, California | “Still Life“ |
Helen K. Davie, Templeton, California, and John Thompson, Santa Rosa, California | “Sierra“ | |
Jocelyn Conway, Concord, California, and Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California | “For a Moment“ |
San Francisco International Rengay Contest 1997
Judges | Claire Gallagher and John Thompson | |
1st Place | Rick Kuntz, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and Jeff Witkin, Rockville, Maryland | “Beyond the Bridge” |
1st Honorable Mention | Helen K. Davie, Atascadero, California, and Ebba Story, San Francisco, California | “Twilight” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Ebba Story, San Francisco, California, and Tom Clausen, Ithaca, New York | “Fallen Leaves” |
Haiku Poets of Northern California 1996 San Francisco International Rengay Contest
Judges | Paul O. Williams, with Garry Gay | |
Contest Chair | Suzanne B. Friedman | |
1st Place | Carol Purington, Colrain, Massachusetts, and Larry Kimmel, Colrain, Massachusetts | “Dotted with Gnats” |
Honorable Mention (3) | Ebba Story, San Francisco, California, and D. Claire Gallagher, Sunnyvale, California | “Flow” |
Lee Gurga, Lincoln, Illinois, and Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California | “Uh-huh” | |
Ebba Story, San Francisco, California, and Louis Morra, New York, New York | “Spattered Ink” |
Haiku Poets of Northern California 1995 Rengay Contest
Judges | Garry Gay, John Thompson, and Michael Dylan Welch | |
Number of entries | 29 | |
1st Place (tie) | Valorie Woerdehoff, Dubuque, Iowa, and Connie Meester, Dubuque, Iowa | “Moving Inside” |
1st Place (tie) | Ebba Story, San Francisco, California, and Cherie Hunter Day, Portland, Oregon | “Tidewater Marsh” |
1st Honorable Mention | sally l. nichols, Shelborne Falls, Massachusetts, and Carol Purington, Colrain, Massachusetts | “Golden Pickets” |
2nd Honorable Mention | Jeff Witkin, Potomac, Maryland, and John Stevenson, Nassau, New York | “Far Away Voice” |
3rd Honorable Mention | Yvonne Hardenbrook, Murrysville, Pennsylvania, and Tom Clausen, Ithaca, New York | “Summer Red” |
Compiled by: Fay Aoyagi, Susan Antolin, Michael Dylan Welch, and the Haikupedia editors
Sources:
Rengay contests results, including texts of the winning compositions, were reported in flyers to members of the Haiku Poets of Northern California and posted on the HPNC website. Results were also sometimes reported in the HPNC journals Woodnotes (until 1995) and Mariposa thereafter. The Contest Coordinators and Judges sometimes kept their own records as well. The HPNC website (https://www.hpnc.org) includes an archive of all its contests, but information for the rengay contests before 2001 is often missing or spotty.