18th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2023-2024
First Prize for 3 students: Canon digital camera. Other prizes will also be awarded.
Winners of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be invited to an award ceremony in Tokyo*.
UPDATE: Closing date for entries now extended to Sunday 18 February 2024!
About the Contest
The first Haiku Contest was organised by the JAL Foundation in 1990 and has been held every two years since then. Japan Airlines, with support and assistance from the Japan Society, is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 Contest.
Entries should be submitted to The Japan Society by Sunday 18 February 2024.
Find information about the 2021-2022 contest here.
Rules and Entry Guidelines
Applications
- One entry per child (either typed or handwritten) on the theme of "Family".
- Applicants must be the age of 15 and under as of 18 February 2024.
- The haiku must be accompanied by hand-drawn or hand-crafted artwork on the same page, using A4-sized paper (21cm x 29.7cm) or letter sized paper (8.5in. x 11in.).
- Glue the application form on the back of the work.
- Please note that the Japan Society can only receive entries from applicants based in the UK.
Composition
- Any form of artwork (except photographs or digital images) can be submitted.
- Every entry must be the original and unpublished work of the child himself/herself. Assistance by others (parents, other adults, siblings, or other children) is prohibited.
- The haiku must be presented in three short lines.
- All rights (for compositions and artwork) will be reserved by JAL Foundation.
Contest Results
- Contest results will be announced on the JAL Foundation and Japan Society websites in June 2024.
- Winners of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be invited to an award ceremony in Tokyo*. Winners will be decided by a panel of judges organized by JAL Foundation. (Each will receive ¥100,000 as grant money for travel and accommodation expenses in Japan) Both foreign residents and residents in Japan will receive round-trip air tickets (economy class) to Tokyo for two.
- Haiku By World Children, Volume 18 will be shown in the entertainment program on Boeing 787 international Japan Airlines flights.
- The winning haiku from all contests will be posted on JAL Foundation's website.
*Winners of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards are the top 3 entries chosen from all participating local contests outside of Japan.
How to enter
Group & School Entries
Entries from the same school may be parcelled together for submission. Each entry must have an application form glued to the back with the applicant's name and age filled in (the other fields are not mandatory for school entries). The parcel must also include the United Kingdom Application Form for Schools.
Individual Entries
Please complete and attach the application form to the back of all entries. The applicant’s name, age and contact details must be clearly marked on the reverse. Please note that the Japan Society can only receive entries from applicants based in the UK.
School, group and individual entries should all be sent to:
Haiku Contest
The Japan Society
13/14 Cornwall Terrace
London NW1 4QP
Haiku Tips
Haiku are short poems split over three lines and usually contain a seasonal word. Did you know that haiku don’t have to be 7-5-7 syllables in English? For more tips on writing great haiku, download the Beyond 5-7-5 booklet and check out our short film How to Haiku.
You can also take a look at JAL Foundation’s Guide to Writing Haiku and you can read the haiku from the winners and runners-up of the 17th World Children’s Haiku contest 2021-2022 on the theme 'Towns' for inspiration.
Contact Us
For more information on the JAL Foundation or to enter the Haiku Contest from outside the UK, please visit the JAL Foundation website.
If you have any questions regarding the competition in the UK please contact the Japan Society Education Team on education@japansociety.org.uk