5th Annual Mukai Haiku Festival Winners

Mukai Farm & Garden is proud to announce the winners of the Mukai Haiku Festival 2024.

The festival received over a hundred haiku from twelve countries around the world. The prize winners and their haiku are below.

Thank you to each poet that submitted a haiku!

Mukai Haiku Festival 2024 Prize Winners

Category:
Heritage

First Place:
On Vashon Island
where our ancestors made home—
the strawberries’ scent!
   Geoffrey Philp (Jamaica)

Second Place:
Spring at Mukai Farm
Cherry trees toss confetti
Offering their peace
   Grace McRae (USA)

Third Place:
we who imagine
place in past & future tense
are weaving the world
   Brit Myers (USA)

Category:
Nature

First Place:
smell of fresh-cut grass
all the carousel horses
run in slow motion
   Cezar Ciobica

Second Place:
winter evening…
a blade of green grass
in a sparrow’s beak
   Shiva Bhusal (Nepal)

Third Place:
the ongoing foot
of the slug — leaving me
glistening thoughts
   Rick Clark (USA)

Category:
Reflections

First Place:
border checkpoint
I leave my past and shadow
behind the red line
   Chen-ou Liu (Canada)

Second Place:
snow falling outside
gnocchi is drying inside
Mom’s big heart glowing
   Renée Roman (USA)

Third Place:
recall from afar
fragrance of cherry blossoms—
facets of freedom
   Monica Kakkar (India / USA)

Category:
Social Justice

First Place:
countless haiku now
written about sunflowers . . .
a war rages on
   Valentina Ranaldi-Adams (USA)

Second Place:
begging refugee
in her plastic cup
so many drops
   Beata Czeszejko (Poland)

Third Place:
Banned library books
censorship wearing sheepskin
save rainbow pages
   Melinda Dubbs (USA)

Category:
Young Poets (Ages 1-12)

First Place:
The birds are singing
By the water in the woods
Playing hide and seek
   Cedar Olson (USA)

Second Place:
The birds are chirping
The leaves are green and shiny
Shapes between the trees
   Griffin Davies-Harkins (USA)

Third Place:
Skates swerve across ice
Crisp snow blankets piny trees
Winter has arrived
   Ashley Schloss (USA)

Category:
Young Poets (Ages 13-18)

First Place:
strawberry season
I’m trying for the first time
my mom’s red lipstick
   Teo Contac (France)

Second Place:
The water is blue
The blue is as still as stone
The stone all scattered
   Axel Codd (USA)

Third Place:
patiently waiting
for the moment to tell her
my unsaid feelings
    Eljohn Roque Santosildes (Philippines)

For all of the haiku submitted to Mukai Haiku Festival 2024, please click here.

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