Competitions and Opportunities – Australian Haiku Society

Call for Submissions Echidna Tracks: Issue 18 Summer/Autumn 2027

Echidna Tracks will now become an international publication, and we welcome submissions from haiku poets worldwide.

We hope to publish a diversity of haiku and senryu. Jennifer Sutherland and Julia Wakefield will be the haiku editors for this issue. We invite your best and previously unpublished haiku/senryu on any topic.

Echidna Tracks

Capitale de la Haibun Contest 2026

Call for submissions:

The inaugural Capitale de la Haibun Contest, in honor of French Surrealist Paul Éluard, will be open for submissions from October 1-31, 2026. We are looking for experimental haibun that push the boundaries of the form and are rooted in absurdism, dadaism, surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, or nihilism. This contest will be judged by Colleen M. Farrelly, Bryan Rickert, and Rowan Beckett Minor, and a cash prize will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners. Visit here for more information: https://ubupoems.wixsite.com/home/contest

2026 Haiku Society of America one-day Virtual Conference

Recently the Haiku Society of America posted on its home page (https://www.hsa-haiku.org/index.htm) details of its 2026 virtual one-day conference, to be held on November 28. Theme: Cutting Through our Times.

I heartily invite you, members of the Australian Haiku Society, and all interested haiku poets to consider submitting proposals for conference consideration. Please note, however, that such submissions are due by October 10.

Sincerely,
Michael Dudley
International Coordinator
Haiku Society of America

Results of the ‘Spring Flowers’ contest, 24 August 2026

A big thank you to everyone who entered the Australian Haiku Society’s “Spring Flowers” haiku contest in August. This was the first time we conducted a contest to correspond with the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. The contest was open to haiku poets around Australia and attracted 54 entries, with all states and the ACT represented (ACT: 3, NSW: 23, QLD: 5, SA: 2, TAS: 6, VIC:11, WA: 4). Poets who entered were a mix of established and less experienced poets, including at least nine children – seven from one school and two siblings.

Reminder – ‘Spring Flowers’ contest closing 17th August

Australian poets are reminded that the ‘Spring Flowers’ themed haiku contest is closing soon. You’ll need to submit your poem by 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August. See the previous post for further details of the contest and the entry form you’ll need to use.

confluence journal: Call for Fellowship Submissions

confluence offers emerging haiku and tanka poets a unique opportunity to showcase a representative selection of their work and to collaborate with other poets. Each issue of the journal will feature 1 to 2 poet Fellows and publish at least 15 poems of the selected poet’s work along with critical commentary by other poets. Fellows join a year-long cohort, with opportunities for collaborative writing, monthly craft discussions, and one-on-one mentorship with an established Japanese short-form poet. Submissions are open through August 31, 2026 at confluence haiku.

Confluence journal postcard exchange project

The confluence journal has initiated a northern hemisphere ‘Summer Postcard Project‘, involving the exchange of postcards each containing a Japanese short form poem. David Green, confluence associate editor, writes:

‘Spring Flowers’ Haiku Contest for Australian Poets now closed

In the lead up to the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival at Auburn Botanic Gardens, the Australian Haiku Society is running a haiku contest with the theme of ‘Spring Flowers’. We invite Australian poets to submit one haiku on this theme using the form below. Submissions closed at 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August.