On behalf of the Australian Haiku Society, I would like to thank you for your entries from Australia and other countries.
The image was originally processed to show a dark mood, and many dug deep and certainly captured this theme in their haiku. However, I was impressed by those who expressed a lighter mood.
Haiga: the image should support the haiku without the words being a direct description:
Words like silhouettes, shadows, darkness in colour/light, or mood are also on theme with the winter solstice, as are coolness and ice.
A note to poets entering this competition. Please include your name below your haiku. An email address will not be counted as a name. If you make a mistake when entering, please enter your work again, including a note.
Entries have now closed.
Welcome, haiku poets worldwide, to the Australian Haiku Society Winter Solstice Haiga Competition 2026. The competition starts today, 21 June, in Australia. It will be open for eight days, including today, to allow haiku poets in Australia and abroad to contribute their haiku. The competition will close at 1 am on 29 June ACST (Australian Central Standard Time). To avoid missing out, please ensure you have entered your haiku in good time, as the competition cannot be reopened once it closes automatically. Please read the guidelines carefully.
The autumn equinox – when day and night are of equal length – has been an important marker of seasonal change throughout human cultures. With the observance of seasons a significant aspect of haiku practice, the Australian Haiku Society chooses to mark the solstices and equinoxes each year. This Southern hemisphere autumn, as leaves of exotic trees begin to change colour and many of our native plants come into flower, we invite you to enjoy a selection of favourite poems submitted to Haiku Strings in previous autumns. You can find PDF booklets of all the Haiku Strings we have held to date on our Resources page .
footy siren picking the last ripe tomato Louise Hopewell, 2023
morning moonset the black swan’s bill blood red Cathryn Daley, 2023
disagreement morning walk together alone Carol Reynolds, 2020
dancing breeze a hoop pine seed glides in to land Quendryth Young, 2023
outdoor café more dogs in trendy coats than people Kathryn Woolfe, 2019
park bench a two o’clock shadow holds my hand Barbara Tate, 2019
Opera House an autumn breeze fills the sails Gavin Austin, 2019
flooded street a man rescues a teddybear Kathleen Earsman, 2019
fire glow the baby’s breath on my cheek Margaret Mahony, 2021
schoolchildren’s protest their hearts displayed on recycled cardboard Marietta McGregor, 2019
chilly breeze a spider’s thread shifts the moonlight Lyn Arden, 2023
rain clouds blackening the sky Carnaby’s cockatoos Maureen Sexton, 2023
last song . . . the busker turns to his dog Madhuri Pillai, 2020
slow steps a curving path walking to her grave Maurice Neville, 2021
dogs long gone— all their feeding bowls overflow with rain Ron C. Moss, 2020
On behalf of the Australian Haiku Society, I would like to thank you for your entries from Australia and other countries.
Many of the entries described the image. As Ron Moss (well-known poet and haiga judge) has stated …
“Ideally, a ‘link and shift’ will occur between the written word and the image: the two separate elements brought together to make something that resonates on a level higher than when they were separate. It’s a challenge to bring two disciplines together to make all the elements sing and best portray the haiku moment, but I strive to capture that ideal.”
The awarded images achieved this with exceptional skill and a profound understanding of haiga.
A note to poets entering this competition. Please include your name below your haiku. An email address will not be counted as a name. If you make a mistake when entering, please enter your work again, including a note.
Welcome, haiku poets worldwide, to the Australian Haiku Society Winter Solstice Haiga Kukai 2025. The competition starts today, 21 June, in Australia. It will be open for eight days, including today, to allow haiku poets in Australia and abroad to contribute their haiku. The competition will close at 1 am on 29 June ACST (Australian Central Standard Time). To avoid missing out, please ensure you have entered your haiku in good time, as the competition cannot be reopened once it closes automatically. Please read the guidelines carefully.
The Australian Haiku Society will hold a Haiga Kukai on 21 June 2025 to mark the Winter Solstice. Poets from Australia and internationally are invited to participate.
Wanda Amos has generously provided a photographic image, which will be displayed on the AHS website starting on 21 June. The competition will be open for eight days, allowing haiku poets in Australia and abroad to contribute their haiku. The competition will close at 1 am on 29 June ACST (Australian Central Standard Time).
Please enter your haiku well before the opportunity finishes to avoid missing out. Once the comments are automatically closed, they cannot be reopened for late entries.
For this competition, poets will be invited to submit one previously unpublished haiku inspired by the image. Wanda will then select the winning haiku, which will be displayed on the AHS website.
The Australian Haiku Society welcomes contributions from haiku poets worldwide to the Summer Solstice Haiku String.
We will hold the Haiku String on Saturday, December 21st, the day the Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice occurs in Australia this year. The String will remain open for contributions until Sunday, December 29th, 2024, to accommodate international poets who may wish to participate. Contributions may be made on the website during these dates only (not before).
