The theme of this year’s Golden Haiku competition is “Bridges of Belonging.” The BID invites poets and aspiring poets from around the region and the globe to submit up to two original haiku. In March, selected haiku will spring up on signs in tree gardens along some of Washington DC’s most iconic streets in the Golden Triangle.

“Bringing haiku to the Golden Triangle’s sidewalks has become a cherished tradition for our community and one of our favorite ways to mark the changing of the seasons,” said Leona Agouridis, President of the Golden Triangle BID. “Every year, this competition brings out creativity that connects people around the world and especially right here in the Golden Triangle.”

To help writers get into the creative spirit, the BID is partnering with the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC, to host a Golden Haiku Writing Workshop on Jan. 15, at The St. Gregory Hotel. At the session, Golden Haiku judge and acclaimed haiku author Abigail Friedman will provide expert tips and help participants craft memorable haiku. You can get more details and sign up at goldentriangledc.com/haiku.

Poets of all ages can compete in the Golden Haiku competition. There are separate prize categories for adults and school-aged children.

The BID’s Golden Haiku competition adheres to the Haiku Society of America’s guidelines for modern haiku, meaning you don’t need to stick to the traditional 5-7-5 structure. Removing the strict structural requirements for syllables frees the author to use evocative language to capture a moment or expression of beauty in a short, descriptive verse.

A distinguished panel of published haiku experts will review every haiku and determine the winners. The panel will select first, second, and third place winners, a regional favorite, and youth category winners that will include local students. Prizes for winners range from $75 to $500.

Judges for this year’s contest are:

Abigail Friedman is an award-winning author of numerous works on haiku, including The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan (Stone Bridge Press), I Wait for the Moon: 100 Haiku of Momoko Kuroda (Stone Bridge Press), and Street Chatter Fading (Larkspur Press). She is a former diplomat and is on the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C.

Lenard Moore has been authoring haiku for more than 40 years. He was the first African American president elected of the Haiku Society of America, and was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2024. His published poetry has been translated into multiple languages and includes Poems of Love & Understanding (Carlton Press), The Open Eye (NC Haiku Society Press), and Desert Storm: A Brief History (Los Hombres Press).

Kit Pancoast Nagamura has been a columnist for The Japan Times for over a decade and appeared as a regular on NHK World’s Haiku Masters and Journeys in Japan programs. She has won one of Japan’s prestigious Ito-en Oi Cha Haiku Contest prizes and is a member of the Haiku International Association. Her book, Grit, Grace, and Gold, was published in 2020. She will be judging from Japan.

Submissions for the 2025 Golden Haiku competition must be received by Jan. 19, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Winners will be announced in March. Participants may submit up to two self-authored haiku through the form on the BID’s website at goldentriangledc.com/haiku.

About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC’s central business district, the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. For more information, visit goldentriangledc.com and follow the BID on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Golden Triangle Business Improvement District

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