National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate, we are hosting a haiku contest ✍️

LPL is hosting a Haiku Contest during National Poetry Month

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Winners will be announced on Saturday, April 17.

All are welcome to participate! Haikus must be submitted (via the “Submit Your Haiku” button below) by Sunday, April 11. Your haiku may be about any topic or subject, but it must be original and adhere to the 5+7+5 rule.

Three lucky poets will be chosen to receive gift cards:

  • 🥇 will receive a $15 Lancaster Sweet Shoppe gift card
  • 🥈 will receive a $10 Lancaster Sweet Shoppe gift card
  • 🥉 will receive a $5 Lancaster Sweet Shoppe gift card

🗣️ Winners will be announced on National Haiku Day, Saturday April 17. Check our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) for the post!

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a haiku (/ˈhīˌko͞o/) is defined as:

noun: haiku; plural noun: haikus; plural noun: haiku

  1. a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.
    • a poem in English written in the form of a haiku.

Click HERE to visit poets.org for a more detailed explanation of haiku and some famous examples.

Contest Rules:

  1. Entries must be submitted by Sunday, April 11 at 11:59 p.m.
  2. Submissions will be judged by a blind review panel composed of LPL staff.
  3. Participants may submit multiple entries, but can only win one prize.
  4. Haikus that are not original or do not follow the 5+7+5 rule will be disqualified.

For questions regarding this contest, please email Leigh at lkaliss@lancasterpubliclibrary.org.