The Art Sanctuary and The Philadelphia Daily News Present the Haikudelphia Poetry Contest

"Haiku is more than a form of poetry; it is a way of seeing the world. Each haiku captures a moment of experience; an instant when the ordinary suddenly reveals its inner nature and makes us take a second look at the event, at human nature, at life." A.C. Missias

The Art Sanctuary and the Philadelphia Daily News are sponsoring a haiku contest as part of the 26th Annual Celebration of Black Writing Festival, which happens May 26-29, 2010. This contest, which ends March 19, 2010, is open to high school students in grades 9-12, from Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Students are invited to write their best haiku focusing on this year’s writing festival theme, Movement: Paying it Forward, in honor of the many recent and upcoming civil rights anniversaries like the 45th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March and the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Contestants will write their best haiku highlighting this theme. Three finalists will be chosen and invited to the lifetime achievement award ceremony honoring Nikki Giovanni. At the close of the festival, a winner will be announced on Saturday, May 29, 2010.

Prizes For Three Finalists & Fan’s Choice:

1st Place Winner: $500 worth in prizes

$500 cash prize, plus additional prizes.

An autographed copy of Sonia Sanchez’s Book “Morning Haiku”

(Gift card: Barnes & Noble, Scrabble, Toys R Us)

Journal

2nd Place: $250 worth in prizes

An autographed copy of Sonia Sanchez’s book

(Gift card: Barnes & Noble, Scrabble, Toys R Us)

Journal

3rd place: $150 worth in prizes

An autographed copy of Sonia Sanchez’s book

Fan’s Choice: $50 worth in prizes

An autographed copy of Sonia Sanchez’s book

Journal

Gift Card (Barnes & Noble, Staples, Toys R US)

How to Enter:
• Submission must be original
and never published.
• No purchase or payment
necessary to enter or win.
• Online submission can be
submitted at http://contests.philly.com
• Mail entries to:
Haikudelphia Poetry Contest
Newspapers In Education Dept.
400 N Broad Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19130

What is a Haiku?

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that consists of three short lines containing only 17 syllables. The first line of a Haiku is only 5 syllables, the second line only seven 7 syllables, and the third line 5 syllables. The theme for your Haiku in this contest is Civil Rights. The great challenge in writing a Haiku is creating imagery and meaning in only 17 syllables over 3 lines of poetry, so pick your grammar wisely!In the late 1600’s, Basho Matsuo, who is known as the first great poet of Haiku, wrote this example:

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

Good luck!