Editor's Note: Our winning writers use intensely focused language to change the way that readers view the world. Congratulations to all of our winners!
Newest Winners "2009 World Tanka Competition" - 2009
Paul Smith - "motionless"- 1st Place ! - $ 120.00 Winner
motionless
the butterfly
has gone
and taken with it
a whole universe
Paul Smith
Worcester, UK
Paul Smith lives in Worcester in the UK with his wife and children. Alongside poetry he has recently developed a
passion for longbow archery. His poems have been published in numerous print and online journals including,
Modern English Tanka, Blithe Spirit, Ambrosia, Presence, Magna Poets, Ash Moon Anthology, Simply Haiku and
3Lights Gallery. Read more of Paul’s poetry at his blog PaperMoon.
Paul Smith - "snowdrops"- 2nd Place ! - $ 50.00 Winner
snowdrops
bathed in morning light -
I imagine death
beautiful
like that
Paul Smith
Kathy Lippard Cobb - "pebbles"- 3rd Place ! - $ 20.00 Winner
pebbles
ripple a galaxy—
the knowledge
that in this grand design
I am insignificant
Kathy Lippard Cobb
Bradenton, Florida
Recent graphic design graduate from Manatee Community College. Kathy has won numerous awards in haiku/
tanka competitions and has been Associate Editor for White Lotus (haiku/tanka journal) since 2005.
Honorable Mentions
this is the park bench
that waits, always faithful
for my return
where I sit and contemplate
the river's changing moods
Patricia Prime
jasmine tendril
stretching in an upward spiral
I too
grasp for a hold
on the future
André Surridge
tattered butterfly
on the same stone
as yesterday—
my life too
has stopped moving
Kathy Lippard Cobb
Recent Winners "2009 World Haiku Competition" - 2009
Ernest J. Berry - "night rain"- 1st Place !
night rain
the down pipe
relieves itself
- $ 110.00 Winner
James Tipton - "autumn fog" & Ernest J. Berry "morning sickness" - 2nd Place Tie !
autumn fog
the old porch
fills with the past
morning sickness
the drier pauses
between cycles
the drier pauses
between cycles
- $ 25.00/ ea. Winner
Barbara A. Taylor - "autumn light" & Sandra Simpson "the last leaves" - 3rd Place Tie !
autumn light
streaks a setting sun
on the batik
the last leaves
so wrinkled and dry
holding hands anyway
so wrinkled and dry
holding hands anyway
- $ 10.00/ ea. Winner
Honorable Mentions
all day snow
the mail carrier's bootprints
there and gone Jennifer Gomoll Popolis
mating season
the bumblebee's hum
deepens Ernest J. Berry
this morning my son
taller than me –
the first coloured leaves Sandra Simpson
sweeping up the hairs
of the old dog
one last time James Tipton
the clack of fallen branches
neatly piled--
autumn dusk Jennifer Gomoll Popolis
lamb-like mounds
snow huddles
under the pines Patricia Prime
Recent Winners "Haiku Blossoms" Contest - 2009
Ernest J. Berry - "nude beach" & " katrina"- 1st Place Tie !
nude beach
she covers
her hairdo
katrina
he reels in
his fishing boat
he reels in
his fishing boat
- $ 130.00 Winner
Marek Kozubek - "spring meadows"- 2nd Place !
spring meadows
the scent of primroses
plucked for no one
- $ 40.00 Winner
Ernest J. Berry - "invisible gate"- 3rd Place !
"invisible gate"
a little girl chains it
with daisies
- $ 10.00 Winner
Honorable Mentions
gap in the trees
morning sun straight through
a daffodil - Diana Webb, UK
drought
the vacant lot
blossoms - Ernest J. Berry, New Zealand
a long look
at the plum blossom
fading so soon - Patricia Prime, New Zealand
Winning Haiku - September 2008
Marek Kozubek - "first snow"- 1st Place !
first snow
tracks of a homeless man
from sill to sill
- $ 100.00 Winner
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is incredible! I am glad very much. Dear Raquel, If it is possible, send my cash award $100 to "Women for Women International" please, ok.? The warmest greetings - Marek Kozubek
Marek is an office worker, living in the beautiful mountainous town -Zywiec. He loves the beauty of mountains and mountain journeys. He's been writing haiku for several years. It is his real passion. His favourite classic writer is Yosa Buson. He likes music, too. He is an Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison fan.
Catherine J.S. Lee- "hunger moon"- 2nd Place !
hunger moon
a deer nudges snow
under the apple tree
- $ 30.00 Winner
Patricia M. Benedict- "snow-covered hedge"- 3rd Place !
snow-covered hedge
even the smallest branch
holds its own Mt.Fuji
- $ 15.00 Winner
Honorable Mentions
first snow
how lightly
the cat steps - Timothy Russell, Ohio
arctic morning
the panting postman follows
his steaming breath - Patricia M. Benedict, Calgary, Canada
snow
the mourners
huddle closer - Timothy Russell, Ohio
Christmas dinner
lifting the mistletoe
over my head - Francis W. Alexander, Sandusky, Ohio
