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For the fifth year in a row, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) has celebrated spring by placing signs with haikus throughout Washington, D.C.’s Downtown neighborhood. To choose what haikus to present, there was a poetry contest with 1,675 entries from 45 countries and 34 states, including the District. The theme this year was “Spring in the City.” There are approximately 250 signs showcasing the haikus throughout the neighborhood.
Each participant was able to submit a maximum of three haikus with submissions accepted through February 2. A group of “haiku experts” were the judges, including Abigail Friedman, author of “The Haiku Apprentice,” John Stevenson, managing editor of The Heron’s Nest, and Kit Pancoast Nagamura, columnist for The Japan Times.
See below for the list of first through third place winners as well as the D.C. winner:
First Place
the twitch
of a cat’s ears
pring drizzle
— Debbi Antebi
(London, England)
Second Place
a basketball spins
on the edge of the hoop
spring equinox
— Garry Eaton
(Vancouver, Canada)
Third Place
cherry blossoms
migrating from there
to here
— Mary Kendall
(Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
D.C. Winner
always
one step ahead
sidewalk sparrow
— Elizabeth Steinglass
(Washington, D.C.)
For a full list of all of the honorable mentions, head to the Golden Triangle BID website here.
• Golden Haiku: 2018 Award Winners! [Golden Triangle Business Improvement District]
• Golden Haiku contest will bring poetry to Downtown D.C.’s streets [Curbed DC]