Vancouver Cherry Blossom FestivalVancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
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Vancouver Cherry Blossom FestivalPresented by
The Haiku Invitational is an international online contest that attracts submissions from all over the world.
The top poems in six main categories (Vancouver, BC, Canada, the United States, International, and Youth (age 17 and under) will be featured in the Haiku Canada newsletter, an online publication in the newsletter of the Haiku Society of America, and published on the VCBF website.
These haiku will also receive celebrity readings and be celebrated in creative ways during the Festival at The Big Picnic and at Sakura Days Japan Fair (Vancouver Haiku Group members lead Ginko Walks to forage the garden for your spring haiku inspiration).
To encourage the writing, reading, and appreciation of this poetic form judges choose poems in additional categories of “Sakura Awards” and “Honourable Mention.”
The 2023 Haiku Invitational submission is now open. Submit your haiku here.
Read all about haiku, including form and technique.
Find materials to introduce haiku to both teachers and students.
Read all winning haiku entries from 2006 – 2022.
Meet our 2022 Haiku Invitational Winners.
Read the judges’ 2022 Commentary for inspiration for your own haiku.
View additional categories of 2022 Sakura Awards and Honourable Mentions.
Celebrating winning haiku with a unique Haiku Exhibition with commissioned pieces by Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh artists.
| Vancouver night breeze . . . cherry petals fill the big dipper P. H. Fischer Vancouver, British Columbia |
United States cherry blossoms . . . the painter sets down his brush Mary McCormack Urbana, Illinois |
| British Columbia a painting in a puddle . . . cherry blossoms elehna de sousa Salt Spring Island, British Columbia |
International cherry blossoms all other words below Srinivasa Rao Sambangi Hyderabad, India |
| Canada falling blossoms a toddler picks herself up Sue Colpitts Peterborough, Ontario |
Youth blossoms whisper my secret carried through the wind Emily Edwards, Age 14 Christchurch, New Zealand |
Our judging panel is currently being finalized. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we kindly ask that you check back for updates on our judges. Thank you for your understanding.
Programs subject to change.
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