The Modern Kigo project: SPRING KIGO 2022 contest

(judges: Alan Peat, Réka Nyitrai)

The Modern Kigo project: SPRING KIGO 2022 contest

(Judges: Alan Peat, Réka Nyitrai)

The ‘ Spring Kigo’ contest opens on the 20th April and closes at midnight (U.K. time) on the 20th May.

The theme is Spring

Only Spring kigo is being accepted.

There will be separate Summer, Autumn, and Winter kigo contests later in the year.

To enter please use the following format in your email. 

1 Your name

2 Your email address

3 Your kigo (ONE ONLY)

4 The definition of your kigo

5 Your location (town, country)

6 Kigo category* – see notes below

7 Your haiku (ONE ONLY, using your kigo)

There is no need to add a covering paragraph as the contest will be judged blind (to avoid unconscious bias) by Réka Nyitrai and Alan Peat. 

Please stick strictly to the format above and include the 1-7 numbering. 

This will help us greatly in the judging process.

*The category section is an important element of the contest as it will form part of the forthcoming saijiki. 

Categories are wide-ranging and include – The Heavens, The Earth, Humanity, Observances, Animals, and Plants. 

If your kigo doesn’t fit into one of these categories then feel free to create your own category, but remember that it should be wide-ranging.

Please note also that the ultimate aim of the ‘Modern Kigo Project’ is to make new kigo available to ALL poets. 

The originators of kigo included in the saijiki will be named but thereafter their kigo can be used WITHOUT reference to the originator, just as with traditional kigo.

We are not aiming to supplant existing kigo but rather, to augment what is already available. We’re grateful for the haiku community’s interest and enthusiasm for this project which is driven solely by curiosity and a willingness to experiment.

Entries should be emailed to: alanpeatppa@hotmail.co.uk 

WINNING ENTRIES WILL BE PUBLISHED HERE, AT ALAN SUMMERS’ ‘HAIKU BASECAMP’ BLOG IN MID-JUNE 2022

Honourable mentions will be included at the judges’ discretion.

All winners (and honourable mentions) will receive E-certificates and all will be included in the draft of the Modern Kigo Project document.

Judges’ comments will also be posted on ‘Haiku Basecamp’

Good luck with your entry and many thanks for your interest. We’d be delighted if you’d share this post widely.

Contest Judges: Alan Peat & Réka Nyitrai

The Modern Kigo core team consists of: 

Alan Peat, Réka Nyitrai, Fay Aoyagi, Michael O’Brien, Alan Summers 

and Richard Thomas.

kigo art by Alan Summers

Check out the results of the first ever Modern Kigo contest to get an idea about kigo, its definition etc…: https://weirdlaburnum.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/the-modern-kigo-competition-results%EF%BF%BC/