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Celebrate National Poetry Month with DC Public Library! Residents ages 6 and up are invited to submit a haiku to their neighborhood library for the 2024 Haiku Contest from Apr. 1 - 30. Don't see your library's submission link below? Choose the location closest to you!
Themes for this year's haikus can be found on each library's submission form, but include topics like:
✎ a DC moment / observed in DC,
✎ something you're grateful for,
✎ seasons, or
✎ something small and wild.
Each participating library will select a winner in the following age categories, Children (6-12), Teen (13-19) and Adult (20+). Prize-winners will take home library swag and have their poem posted in the library and on the DC Public Library's website in May! There is a limit of two entries per person.
What is a Haiku?
A haiku is a traditional Japanese poem made up of three lines, with 17 syllables total.
Line 1 is made up of 5 syllables.
Line 2 is made up of 7 syllables.
Line 3 is made up of 5 syllables.
Traditionally, haiku don't rhyme and use imagery from the natural world, but you can decide if you want to be creative with rhyme, images, and content.
Submit Your Haiku
Please submit your haiku to your neighborhood library's contest. Don't see your home library? Submit to the one closest to you!
Capitol View Library Cleveland Park Library Francis A. Gregory Library Georgetown Library
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Palisades Library Petworth Library Rosedale Library
Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Library Tenley-Friendship Library