Haiku Invitational
Presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.
Haiku Invitational
From now until April 30th, Vancouverites and poets the world over are invited to congregate at Mink Chocolates and submit haiku poems to the 14th Annual Haiku Invitational for the chance at fame, and a $50 Mink Gift Card!
What is the Haiku Invitational?
The Haiku Invitational is a global competition run by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, and supported by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel. Over the years, the contest has attracted tens of thousands of haiku submissions from 42 countries.
Aspiring poets are encouraged to submit haikus that feature cherry blossoms to be considered for awards.
What can you win?
Bragging rights! Each year, the international panel of judges encourages poets by recognizing winners in six categories (Vancouver, BC, Canada, United States, International and Youth).
Winning poems will receive celebrity readings and be featured in creative ways during the 2020 festival, some of which include: publication in The Bulletin magazine, Haiku Canada newsletter, an online publication in the newsletter of the Haiku Society of America, and publication on the VCBF website.
Christopher Gaze, the founding artistic director of Shakespeare in the Park, will also read the winning poems at the VSO’s Tea & Trumpets Concert, and attendees of the festival's media-kickoff concert event, Cherry Jam Downtown, will be treated to a reading as well. Click here to see other creative ways winning haikus have been celebrated in past years.
This year, we have also added a special prize for the top submission received through the Mink ballot box or via the hashtag #LWBlossomHaiku: a $50 Gift Certificate to Mink!
What are the deadlines?
The deadline for Haiku Invitational submissions worldwide is June 1, 2020.
The Mink contest ends April 30, 2020. These submissions are also automatically entered for judging in the larger Haiku Invitational.
Back to Basics: What is a Haiku?
A haiku (pronounced "High-Koo") is a traditional Japanese form of poetry.
It's less complicated than you think to write one...
The only rule is this: Compose 17 syllables over three lines - that's it!
As kids, many people would have learned that you are supposed to write a haiku as:
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables
This is correct, but the modern gurus of haiku are not as strict. As long as you write 17 syllables over 3 lines, you're ok.