The annual Betty Drevniok Award was established by Haiku Canada in 1998, in memory of Betty Drevniok, who served as secretary of the society from 1977 to 1979 and president from 1979 to 1982.
The competition is open to all. Up to three unpublished haiku that are not under consideration anywhere else may be submitted. There is no charge to enter, and there are no categories or restrictions on the type or style of haiku that will be considered. The judge typically selects 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place haiku and about eight Honourable Mentions. Prizes in the amounts of Can$100, 50, and 25 are awarded to the top three winners.
Each year the winners, their haiku, and the judge’s comments are announced at the Haiku Canada Weekend in May, made available on the HC website in early June, and published as a trifold sheet distributed to Haiku Canada Members along with the society’s journal, Haiku Canada Review.
Winning haiku and judges’ comments from the 2006 contests to the present are archived on the Haiku Canada website. Submission guidelines for the current contest are posted here.
Betty Drevniok Award 2023
| Judge | Skylar Kay | |
| Contest coordinator | Pearl Pirie | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Place (Can$100) | Andreea Lebaduca, Botoșani, Romania | hopscotch a little girl hops into the birdsong |
| Second Place (Can$50) | Ravi Kiran, Hyderabad, India | wilted bud for a little while I was a dad |
| Third Place (Can$25) | Blanca Baquero, Canning, Nova Scotia | softly and slowly one haiku all in white first snowflake |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Julie Schwerin, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin | no need to explain cherry blossoms |
| | Sean Brown, Bend, Oregon | the silence between the wind chimes autumn breeze |
| | Ravi Kiran, Hyderabad, India | unseasonal rain a doctor searches for the right words |
| | Jennifer Hambrick, Columbus, Ohio | winter cattails … he decides to stop the treatments |
| | Carole MacRury, Point Roberts, Washington | plein air painting— I fill my brush with the sky |
| | Antoinette Cheung, Vancouver, British Columbia | shelling peas… the giggle we inherited from granny |
| | Tomislav Sjekloća, Cetinje, Montenegro | squeaky old gate the bark that’s not there |
| | Pamela Cooper, Montréal, Québec | fermented berries— the lilt in the waxwing’s song |
Betty Drevniok Award 2022
| Judge | Michael Dylan Welch | |
| Contest coordinator | Pearl Pirie | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | paul m.. Inlet Beach, Florida | suspecting mine is the placebo … January moon |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Jacquie Pearce, Vancouver, British Columbia | hometown I hear the river call my name |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Karin Hedetniemi, Victoria, British Columbia | home from hospice— your empty cup in the sink |
| Honourable Mention (4) | Ana Drobot, Bucharest, Romania | January— I borrow a book of spring poems |
| | Indra Neil Mekala, Rajamahendravaram, India | spring moon— on her thumbs, the dents of knitting needles |
| | Karin Hedetniemi, Victoria, British Columbia | long walk with a friend picking stories from blackberry bushes |
| | Jennifer Hambrick, Columbus, Ohio, USA | a pine among oaks the family we choose |
Betty Drevniok Award 2021
| Judge | Marco Fraticelli | |
| Contest coordinator | Carole MacRury | |
| Number of entries | About 800 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Antoinette Cheung, Vancouver, British Columbia | something blue I tie the knot of your hospital gown |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Dejan Pavlinović, Pula, Croatia | father’s suit how he left it behind without his smell |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Gina, Tasmania, Australia | picking out the brightest star I ask Dad how he is |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Meghan Elizabeth Jones, Calgary, Alberta | after deep snow water trickling down the drain spout |
| Skylar Kay, Calgary, Alberta | breath freezes to my lashes— just the sound of geese | |
| Angela Leuck, Hatley, Québec | fresh-picked tomato the sun’s warmth still on its skin | |
| Pamela Cooper, Montreal, Québec | lingerie drawer making room for my mask collection | |
| Cezar Ciobîcă, Botoșani, Romania | lockdown from pane to pane the hunter’s moon | |
| Joanne Morcom, Calgary, Alberta | nursing home in all the bird feeders mounds of snow | |
| Nikolay Grankin, Krasnodar, Russia | sunset the butterfly’s wing on a trail of ants | |
| Ron Moss, Tasmania, Australia | sudden thunder the harmonica player bends a note |
Betty Drevniok Award 2020
| Judge | kjmunro | |
| Contest coordinator | Carole MacRury | |
| Number of entries | 660 haiku by 229 poets from 38 countries | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Pamela Cooper, Montréal, Québec | a stop sign in Inuktitut— the wind unyielding |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Ana Drobot, Bucharest, Romania | first snowdrops— my favourite songs on repeat |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | moonlit our cell phones charging side by side |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Sheila K. Barksdale, Gotherington, Gloucestershire, U.K. | backyard barbecue a curl of watermelon with little rat feet |
| Lynne Jambor, Vancouver, British Columbia | cloud-streaked sky a pebble in my hiking boot | |
| Mark Miller, Shoalhaven Heads, New South Wales, Australia | spring cleaning finding her scent in the unfinished scarf | |
| Maxianne Berger, Outremont, Québec | string hammock cat’s cradle | |
| Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | river bend— someone in waders taming clouds | |
| Hifsa Ashraf, Rawalpindi, Pakistan | barbed wire fence the jigsaw puzzle of my homeland | |
| Ngô Hồ Anh Khoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | spring cleaning the echo lingers longer in the vacant room | |
| Brad Bennett, Arlington, Massachusetts | all the songs we know by heart mountain stream |
Betty Drevniok Award 2019
| Judge | Pat Benedict Campbell | |
| Contest coordinator | Carole MacRury | |
| Number of entries | 471 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Simon Hanson, Tasmania, Australia | crossing the lake the nightly journey of stars |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Pamela A. Babusci, Rochester, New York | first snow he lightly brushes her mastectomy scars |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts | where we cast handfuls of his ashes the leap of a trout |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Steven Clarkson, Taupo, New Zealand | blackbird she describes its flight with her eyebrows |
| Angela Leuck, Hatley, Québec | late summer her foot swings at a cloud’s pace | |
| Sharon Morrison, Montréal, Québec | november drizzle smell of potatoes being dug | |
| Ngô Hồ Anh Khoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | cherry blossoms mother sweeps away her fallen strands of hair | |
| Aparna Pathak, Haryana state, India | custody battle … the zigzag edges of my nail | |
| Pragya Vishnoi, Uttar Pradesh state, India | first date her chopsticks pick air | |
| Joshua Gage, Pepper Pike, Ohio | power outage I begin to listen to the rain | |
| Irene Golas, Sudbury, Ontario | the old farm … such a small place for all that struggle |
Betty Drevniok Award 2018
| Judge | Mike Montreuil | |
| Contest coordinator | Joanne Morcom | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Bruce H. Feingold, Walnut Creek, Calif. | fallen redwoods the solitary walks after illness |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Ann Magyar, Brighton, Massachusetts | drift of leaves my grandfather’s voice calling the cows home |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Indra Neil Mekala, Andhra Pradesh state, India | victory parade –— the tire marks of a wheelchair |
| Honourable Mention (6) | Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, Hyderabad, India | hazy moon but I know what the kick meant |
| Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, Dorset, U.K. | funeral procession small girl asks “will there be cake?” | |
| Dan Iulian Ciupitu, Bucharest, Romania | refugee camp — just the full moon’ bauble in a Christmas tree | |
| Helen Buckingham, Somerset, U.K. | once a school … tulips line the hospice drive | |
| Susan Burch, Hagerstown, Maryland | Baskin-Robbins we sample new baby names | |
| Agnes Eva Savich, Austin, Texas | a ripple carried past a bend in the river … her baby’s ashes |
Betty Drevniok Award 2017
| Judge | LeRoy Gorman | |
| Contest coordinator | Claudia Coutu Radmore | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania | jump over and once again— spring creek |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Aalix Roake, Rolleston, New Zealand | geese passing … I have heard they mate for life |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Carl Seguiban, Burnaby, British Columbia | multicoloured sky for once, the children pull the strings |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Steliana Cristina Voicu, Ploiești, Romania | cyclamen in bloom— in the oncologist’s office still pretty in pink |
| Iulian Ciupitu, Bucharest, Romania | douane — in the eyes of a refugee the borderless sky | |
| Harvey Jenkins, Winnipeg, Manitoba | rusted mountain bike wildflowers move between the spokes | |
| Andrius Luneckas, Vilnius, Lithuania | summertime in the cemetery cuckoo | |
| Irene Golas, Sudbury, Ontario | blueberry pie no need to be perfect | |
| Julie Bloss Kelsey, Germantown, Maryland | barrier island— the bray of wild horses drifts on sea breeze | |
| Christina Sng, Singapore | spring weeds in my organs endometriosis | |
| Joshua Gage, Broadview Heights, Ohio | winter rehearsals those strands of hair that escape her bun |
Betty Drevniok Award 2016
| Judge | Tom Clausen | |
| Contest Coordinator | Claudia Coutu Radmore | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Ruth Powell, Prince George, British Columbia | starlit night only the sound of my paddle |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Owen Bullock, Canberra, Australia | I would have given up so many times … we mend the tent |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Liz Fenn, Wellsville, N.Y. | soft light in a room of bare walls |
| Honourable Mention (9) | Julie Warther, Dover, Ohio | quietly joining the conversation … prairie stars |
| Chen-ou Liu, Ajax, Ontario | home from the hospital … a robin’s song and nothing else | |
| paul m., Bristol, Rhode Island | lilac breeze the dog nudges the door open with her nose | |
| Sheila Weaver, Gibsons, British Columbia | deserted the spider web still catching flies | |
| Rodney Williams, Trafalgar, Vic., Australia | inhaling deeply at the kitchen doorstep … summer rain | |
| Helen Buckingham, Wells, U.K. | first love red-lipped beneath the mulberry | |
| Stephen Toft, Lancaster, U.K. | late summer— boys building a dam in the stream | |
| Ruth Powell, Prince George, British Columbia | suspended for a heartbeat top of the ferris wheel | |
| Rodney Williams, Trafalgar, Victoria, Australia | open garden day— swallows weave across lawns between guests |
Betty Drevniok Award 2015
| Judge | Carol MacRury | |
| Contest coordinator | Claudia Coutu Radmore | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Carl Seguiban, Burnaby, British Columbia | last rites … rain fading into bird song |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | elehna de sousa, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia | sunlit poppy … the swirl of her red skirt |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Carl Seguiban, Burnaby, British Columbia | bluest on forgotten graves— wild myosotis |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Steliana Cristina Voicu, Ploiești, Romania | delivery room— the gentle light of the beginning |
| Steliana Cristina Voicu, Ploiești, Romania | huckleberries— capturing the night in the jam jar | |
| Jayashree Maniyil, Melbourne, Australia | clearing sky the gum tree bursts into rainbow lorikeets | |
| Judit Katalin Hollos, Budapest, Hungary | child soldiers— a young buck takes the moon on its antlers | |
| Debbie Strange, Winnipeg, Manitoba | the whistle of a wood duck … her last breath | |
| Dina E. Cox, Unionville, Ontario | still there … soul of the caterpillar in the butterfly | |
| Mark E. Brager, Columbia, Maryland | sunlight through fog … the half-life of falling leaves | |
| John Barlow, Ormskirk, Lancashire, U.K. | leaf-cast shade a hoverfly moves around a spot of sunshine |
Betty Drevniok Award 2014
| Judge | Vicki McCullough | |
| Contest coordinator | Claudia Coutou Radmore | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Darrell Lindsey, Nacogdoches, Texas | snow in the treetops— a lullaby too heavy for her to sing |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Mark E. Brager, Columbia, Maryland | moon and star … a stray goose becomes an echo |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | so soft the snow no heroic measures |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Kathy Lippard Cobb, Bradenton, Florida | first light— the tree explodes with blackbirds |
| Veronika Zora Novak, Toronto, Ontario | solar eclipse … folding, unfolding moth wings | |
| Mark E. Brager, Columbia, Maryland | what was left by the riverside … deepening dusk | |
| Harvey Jenkins, Nanaimo, British Columbia | first pond freeze a water beetle pushes against the ice | |
| Marianne Paul, Kitchener, Ontario | white peony tea— snow so fine the night has flowered | |
| Kathy Lippard Cobb, Bradenton, Florida | white butterfly drifting through all she left behind | |
| Sandra Simpson, Tauranga, New Zealand | first autumn colour— taking the heirloom meant for my sister | |
| Carolyn Coit Dancy, Pittsford, New York | harvest moon walking through a Van Gogh |
Betty Drevniok Award 2013
| Judge: | Dorothy Howard | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Kim Horne, Saint Catherines, Ontario | the soft snow falls on the hill, on my roof and on the homeless |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Janick Belleau, Longueuil, Québec | cold winter day she phones her mother who says: «who are you?» |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | half-light a dinghy adrift |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Alan Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts | late winter sunset glides across lake ice |
| Jacqueline Pearce, Burnaby, British Columbia | spring melt his ashes still not scattered | |
| Susan Constable, Nanoose Bay, British Columbia | alone this winter counting the nights counting the stars | |
| Alan Bridges, Littleton, Massachusetts | her owl (as if it were hers) holed up in the old oak | |
| Ellen Cooper, Montréal, Québec | fallen bread knife— the waiter picks up a slice of sky | |
| Tracy Davidson, Stratford-on-Avon, U.K. | dark shadows trying to make sense of her x-ray | |
| Elehna de Sousa, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia | some wounds take forever to heal —tonight’s red sky | |
| Carolyn Coit Dancy, Pittsford, New York | _________________________________ _________________________________ through the screen door a cat’s meow and lilacs _________________________________ _________________________________ |
Betty Drevniok Award 2012
| Judge | Nick Avis | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | honeycomb … everything she can’t remember |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | a red ribbon writhing on the street— bitter cold |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | solstice— the incense changes direction |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, Poole, Dorset, England | fallen leaves we kick thru their beauty |
| Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | one way into the labyrinth a maple key | |
| Pamela Cooper, Montréal, Québec | grapefruit harvest— the morning sun left dangling | |
| Bruce Ross, Bangor, Maine | so much better than we could do the frog’s stillness | |
| Grant Savage, Ottawa, Ontario | g l i n r a t s g s i it w t a | |
| Earl R. Keener, Bethany, West Virginia | sawdust father pauses to finish the story | |
| Helen Baker, North Vancouver, British Columbia | parade day … another blue balloon floats from reach | |
| Chen-ou Liu, Ajax, Ontario | American dream in each shop window a different moon |
Betty Drevniok Award 2011
| Judge | Claudia Coutu Radmore | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Earl R. Keener, Bethany, West Virginia | folding sheets the weight of a flag still in my arms |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | snowbound: the rosebushes up to their hips |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | once before you go receding snowbank— tell me your secrets |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Diane Descôteaux, Saint-Nicéphore, Que. | snowstorm— you’ve gained at least a pound snowman! |
| Paris Elizabeth Sea, Beaconsfield, Québec | tidy kitchen knives all hidden but handy | |
| Naomi Beth Wakan, Gabriola, British Columbia | a bikini top pinned to the park noticeboard end of summer | |
| Lois Harvey, Ottawa, Ontario | side by side in the hammock two unread books | |
| Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | a red maple leaf that forgot to fall … he fingers his shrapnel scar | |
| Ellen Cooper, Montreal, Que. | setting off beeps in my smoke detector a daddy longlegs | |
| Guy Simser, Kanata, Ontario | to that scythe moon looming over the hospice his tranquil yielding | |
| Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | stargazer lilies my quantum of time |
Betty Drevniok Award 2010
| Judge | Grant Savage | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Ellen Compton, Washington, District of Columbia | whispers of a fragrance my sister loved evening in spring |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | snowflakes … all the little self-indulgences |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Carole MacRury, Point Roberts, Washington | star gazing … one frog answers another |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington | night comes early — the last of the potatoes have eyes |
| Pamela Cooper, Montréal, Québec | Indian paintbrush— the myriad colours of a fire rainbow | |
| Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | the long day a maple key’s twirl wherever | |
| Carole MacRury, Point Roberts, Wash. | intermission— a fly on the piano walks a full scale | |
| Catherine J. S. Lee, Eastport, Maine | morning hush the fisherman casts a thread of sunlight | |
| Marilyn Potter, Toronto, Ontario | spring evening— playing my piano for all the street to hear | |
| Ellen Compton, Washington, District of Columbia | daylight moon the chrysanthemums have covered your name | |
| Alice Frampton, Seabeck, Washington | 4-way stop— everyone waits for the red corvette |
Betty Drevniok Award 2009
| Judge | Angela Leuck | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | autumn light just this much to go on |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | mountain clearing a hawk carves all the rest |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | an’ya, La Pine, Oregon | farmer’s scythe a harvesting song in each sweep |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Terry Ann Carter, Ottawa, Ontario | endless rain in my mother’s kitchen the snap, snapping of beans |
| Natalia L. Rudychev, Des Plaines, Illinois | a heat wave the butterfly fans its shadow | |
| Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | autumn foliage past its peak— the pathway home in sepia | |
| Catherine J. S. Lee, Eastport, Maine | meadow pond our blades slice figures on the moon | |
| elehna de sousa, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia | retirement home— each time the heron comes another goldfish gone | |
| Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | foreign airport— a baby’s cry takes me farther from home | |
| Liz Fenn, Wellsville, New York | they all hush when she walks past —sparrows in the hedge | |
| Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | cattails in moonlight— no such urges at my age |
Betty Drevniok Award 2008
| Judge | Marshall Hryciuk | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | More than 200 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Marilyn Potter, Toronto, Ontario | the only sound— a blue dragonfly between bulrushes |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Peggy Willis Lyles, Tucker, Georgia | the turning tide at standstill sandhill cranes |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia | persimmon still hanging the extra day of the year |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Susan Constable, Nanoose Bay, British Columbia | light snow a sweep of starlings over the barn |
| Peggy Willis Lyles, Tucker, Georgia | a strange cat crouched on the welcome mat— the short day | |
| Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey | ice storm the crackle of wood in the fire | |
| Cathy Drinkwater Better, Eldersburg, Maryland | sundown wild geese gather on the silver lake | |
| Pamela Cooper, Montréal, Québec | sugaring off— the staccato tapping sound of a woodpecker | |
| Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | father’s day the kite string pulls from my hand | |
| Catherine J. S. Lee, Eastport, Maine | waning moon the fox’s bloody footprint in the snow | |
| Arch Haslett, Toronto, Ontario | after the air show turkey vulture quietly soars |
Betty Drevniok Award 2007
| Judge | Michael Dylan Welch | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | 170 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | the paramedic feeling for a pulse fireflies |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Carol Pearce, New York, New York | in her hand the downed branch dancing again |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Lin Geary, Paris, Ontario | white ice on the willows my hand slipping into yours |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Merilyn Peruniak, Athabasca, Alberta | long spring evening: double‑decker gets fitted with new ads |
| Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey | a sliver of clay flies off the potter’s wheel the moon almost full | |
| André Surridge, Hamilton, New Zealand | fading harbour light becoming brisker her brush strokes | |
| Irene Golas, Sudbury, Ontario | first warm day father gets out his cap and cane | |
| Leanne McIntosh, Nanaimo, British Columbia | The train’s whistle for a moment long grass blowing west | |
| Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | the wad of paper uncrumples longest night | |
| John Quinnett, Bryson City, North Carolina | more news of the war looking deeper into my dog’s eyes | |
| Roland Packer, Hamilton, Ontario | sugar maple the fingerless gloves of the fiddler |
Betty Drevniok Award 2006
| Judge | Angela Leuck | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | a whitetail flickers into birch … what time I have left |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | John Ower, Midland, Texas | valentine’s day the twinging of angina |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | solstice— minnows darting above their darker selves |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Grant Savage, Ottawa, Ontario | silhouette the moon outlines her single breast |
| Patricia M. Benedict, Calgary, Alberta | his sister’s funeral trimming his hair before he goes | |
| Helen Baker, Vancouver, British Columbia | wild geese in flight— suddenly the sky so wide | |
| Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | call of a loon … cove light and shadow ripple in | |
| André Surridge, Hamilton, New Zealand | summer afternoon settling into its shadow the old labrador | |
| Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | keeping them for a day— the broken pieces of the heirloom bowl | |
| Frances Mary Bishop, Alexandria, Ontario | On the old wall pictures of the past— the plaster falling. | |
| Ernest J. Berry, Picton, New Zealand | Easter Sunday neighbours on their knees weeding |
Betty Drevniok Award 2005
| Judge | Terry Ann Carter | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | frozen lake a crack, cleaving silence to silence |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | into his trousers the old tailor pressing winter light |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Phyllis Brown, Port Colborne, Ontario | Quiet suddenly, and crossing the summer lake the rain comes in sheets |
| Honourable Mention (9) | Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | autumn woods a patch of low sunlight just out of reach |
| John Ower, Corpus Christi, Texas | the hurricane’s approach — in the dark, a hickory nut bounces off our car | |
| Graham High, Blackheath, London, U.K. | moon at our window— the evening still bright enough to sew that button | |
| Blanca Baquero, Canning, Nova Scotia | three days of downpour my only horizon an old umbrella | |
| John Ower, Corpus Christi, Texas | first day of spring— mosquito larvae wriggling in a dinosaur track | |
| Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | currents taking us beyond all the time we care to measure | |
| Dina Cox, Unionville, Ontario | heat wave … a memory of ocean rushes in | |
| Graham High, Blackheath, London, U.K. | dreaming in the flames— the stack of burning twigs falls into nothing | |
| Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | path of pine needles … he adds her to his Christmas list |
Betty Drevniok Award 2004
| Judge | Philomene Kocher | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Kathy Lippard Cobb, Bradenton, Florida | passing train— water droplets cling to the pussy willows |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Nancy Prasad, Toronto, Ontario | remembering dad as the day of his passing approaches |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | relaxing my arm butterfly on the bullseye |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Steve Olson, Colebrook, New Hampshire | looking for work— the cold deepens in the elbow joints |
| Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | trying to call it off her face keeps changing in leaflight | |
| Irene Golas, Sudbury, Ontario | sudden shower the boys dash out without shoes | |
| Barry George, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | first trick or treat— the toddler reaches for her mother’s face | |
| kirsty karkow, Waldoboro, Maine | Christmas Eve the jostle of umbrellas in a crosswalk | |
| R. A. Stefanac, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | alone even the moon slips away | |
| Martin Lucas, Preston, England | all the departure times have faded … a thin autumn rain | |
| Richard R. Powell, Nanaimo, British Columbia | waiting-room radiator paper leaves tremble against their pins |
Betty Drevniok Award 2003
| Judge | Karen Sohne | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York | late December evening a fox tail tapers to nothing |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | old couple worrying what will eat the crocuses this spring |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | this side of snow steam rising from the rice bowl |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | the clackity-clack of the last roller coaster— a crescent moon |
| Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | grosbeak’s song I brush on one more wall color sample | |
| Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, California | the long day he plants more tomatoes than we can eat | |
| an’ya, CCR, Oregon | north wind— a glistening drop of snot from the rancher’s nose | |
| Garry Gay, Santa Rosa, California | Resting in the wheelbarrow last year’s scarecrow | |
| Michael Dylan Welch, Sammamish, Washington | ringing phone— the bathroom scale recenters itself | |
| Anne LB Davidson, Saco, Maine | stillness … the surveyor’s orange ribbon divides the fog | |
| Barry Goodmann, Hackensack, New Jersey | Stuck in traffic the white billboard bigger than the moon |
Betty Drevniok Award 2002
| Judge | Hans Jongman | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | Nearly 500 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Michael McClintock, South Pasadena, California | the moon has found it for me a mountain path |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Earl R. Keener, Bethany, West Virginia | shift change a coalminer squints in the snowfall |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | first snow — how lightly the cat steps |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Bill Pauly, Dubuque, Iowa | old priest, his fingers dark with newsprint |
| Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia | saddle shop the worn seat of her jeans | |
| w. f. owen, Antelope, California | autumn evening she lays out his clothes on the bed | |
| Jenny Thorson, Dubuque, Iowa | voices ring in this old tree | |
| Cindy Tebo, Catawissa, Missouri | in the shadow of lilacs a cat with her nose in the air | |
| Giovanni Malito Cork, Ireland | the days shorten— seeing less and less of our neighbours | |
| an’ya, Pineville, Oregon | open market— the gypsy baby clutches a grape in her fist | |
| Marian Olson, Santa Fe, New Mexico | 90 this year the fisherman reels in a fighting trout |
Betty Drevniok Award 2001
| Judge | George Swede | |
| Contest coordinator | Ann Goldring | |
| Number of entries | About 450 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California | morning sun a patch of frost in the holstein’s shadow |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Kathy Lippard Cobb, Bradenton, Florida | autumn dusk … a weathered hand waves from the rain |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | first night of snow sifting through his box of old buttons |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Terry Ann Carter, Nepean, Ontario | checking the obituaries the dead leaves curl under |
| Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia | our argument lasts long into the night the windy trees | |
| Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | snowy morning crows trading places in the tree of heaven | |
| Sandra Fuhringer, Hamilton, Ontario | daydreaming child cloud in a puddle | |
| Francine Banwarth, Dubuque, Iowa | cloudy day giving the prism a twirl | |
| D. Claire Gallagher, Sunnyvale, California | after love this sweet burst of cherry tomato | |
| Michael Dylan Welch, Foster City, California | dried tadpole stuck with a pin— ticking sleet | |
| kirsty karkow, Waldoboro, Maine | alone again … the last raspberry sharp on my tongue |
Betty Drevniok Award 2000
| Judge | Marco Fraticelli | |
| Number of entries | More than 300 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Dina E. Cox, Unionville, Ontario | leaves falling— the sudden blackness of branches |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia | midsummer rains— the glass on the stoop half-full … |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Winona Baker, Nanaimo, British Columbia | breast self-examination a moth batters the screened window |
| Honourable Mention (8) | an’ya, Pineville, Oregon | crosswinds — just a black centre on the straw poppy |
| Marian Olson, Santa Fe, New Mexico | autumn butterfly open on the warm boulder | |
| Elizabeth St Jacques, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario | cold and overcast … dipping my banana slice in sunflower seeds | |
| Giovanni Malito, Cork, Ireland | fresh bloom of lilac my steps slow | |
| Angela Leuck, Verdun, Que. | today the tulips tightly closed—my little boy’s sullen face | |
| Giovanni Malito, Cork, Ireland | fly caught in an abandoned web … summer solstice | |
| Alice Frampton, Delta, British Columbia | late August— pushing through cornstalks midnight raccoons | |
| Marianne Bluger, Ottawa, Ontario | opening slowly in the warm kitchen—the last frost-scarred red rose |
Betty Drevniok Award 1999
| Judge | Sandra Fuhringer | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Grant Savage, Ottawa, Ontario | from reed to reed a blackbird follows its song |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio | snow the mourners huddle closer |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | Ruby Spriggs, Ottawa, Ontario | full moon bullfrogs all night |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Marje A. Dyck, Saskatoon, Saskachewan | Shadows shifting over the reed bed dark light |
| Tom Painting, Rochester, New York | mistletoe his smile lines deepen her blush | |
| Hans Jongman, Toronto, Ontario | Farmers’ market a child follows her stroller filled with potatoes | |
| Naomi Beth Wakan, Gabriola, British Columbia | Cormorants On the dock wings open To greet the ferry | |
| Sexton-Page, Indianapolis, Indiana | June: a sprinkle of rain turning bales to hay again | |
| Elizabeth St Jacques, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario | jagged hole in thin lake-ice the wolf’s eyes | |
| Elizabeth St Jacques, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario | Lake Louise silently I sit inside a photograph | |
| Jeanne Jorgensen, Edmonton, Alberta | reed shadows merge into the pond faint coyote’s howl |
Betty Drevniok Award 1998
| Judge | Rod Willmot | |
| Number of entries | Nearly 400 | |
| First Prize (Can$100) | Sandra Fuhringer, Hamilton, Ontario | frost at the window a bowl of white rice steaming |
| Second Prize (Can$50) | anne mckay, Vancouver, British Columbia | so close the living the dying roses in a blue bowl |
| Third Prize (Can$25) | F. M. Black, Columbia, South Carolina | the carousel spins a girl’s delirious laughter July evening … |
| Honourable Mention (8) | Patricia M. Benedict, Calgary, Alberta | My delighted dog gives me the grand tour amid the rain-soaked blossoms |
| Terry Ann Carter, Nepean, Ontario | difference of opinion the student’s loud voice | |
| Ross Figgins, Claremont, California | their last picnic— a cold wind folds her corner of the blanket | |
| Kim Horne, Saint Catherines, Ontario | selfish mother her voice does not reach white chrysanthemums | |
| Patricia Neubauer, Allentown, Pennsylvania | small stirrings deep within the leaf pile— the cat’s eyes darken | |
| William M. Ramsey, Florence, South Carolina | planting tulips for a moment liking myself | |
| Grant Savage, Ottawa, Ontario | months after chemo I find her hair in the bluebirds’ nest | |
| Sexton-Page, Indianapolis, Indiana | rain, song in a field grandfather’s long how flying sprouts row beside row |
COMPILED BY: Mike Montreuil
ADAPTED FROM: Betty Drevniok Award Archives, Haiku Canada website, and Mike Montreuil, comp. and ed., Playing a Lullaby: The Betty Drevniok Awards 1998–2011
SOURCES / FURTHER READING (PRINT):
- Montreuil, Mike, comp. and ed. Playing a Lullaby: The Betty Drevniok Awards 1998–2011. Ottawa: Éditions des petits nuages, 2012.
SOURCES / FURTHER READING (ONLINE):
- The Betty Drevniok Award Archives. Haiku Canada website.
RELATED HAIKUPEDIA ARTICLES:
- Haiku Canada Review
- Haiku Canada