Haiku competition terms and conditions
Background
Westonbirt’s love affair with maples (and Japanese maples especially) goes back almost 200 years, when they were a favourite of the Holford family, the founders of the arboretum. In creating the arboretum, the Holfords followed a set of aesthetic landscaping design principles. Variety was a key element of this picturesque style, and maples played a significant role from the start thanks to their visual diversity.
Today Westonbirt holds National Collections for both maple species and Japanese maple cultivars. Our Tree Collections team support international efforts to conserve maples globally – and of course our 2,000+ mature specimens are the star attraction for the 100,000 visitors that come during autumn.
We are celebrating the magic of maples through a haiku contest, organised in collaboration with the British Haiku Society.
The contest is organised in collaboration with the British Haiku Society.
Submission guidelines
- This contest is open to everyone apart from relatives of the judges and contest organisers.
- There is no entry fee.
- There will be two categories; one for under 18s (youth) and one for over 18s.
- Submissions open Sunday 1 March 2026 and close Tuesday 31 March 2026 at midnight (GMT)
- Haiku may be submitted in any language, but where poems are submitted in their native language, submitters must include an English translation.
- You can submit a maximum of 2 haiku or senryu on the theme of ‘the magic of maples’ via the specific Microsoft Form Link below.
- Haiku must be original and the author’s own work. We do not accept AI generated haiku.
- Haiku must be unpublished and not currently submitted elsewhere either for publication or any other contest. Published is defined as an appearance in any printed or electronic book, magazine, or journal, or publicly visible on any web site or electronic social media (including but not limited to blogs, Facebook, Instagram, etc).
- We do not accept poetry or prose that uses discriminatory language against any race, religion, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or ancestry.
What are we looking for
- We aim to encourage new writing from both experienced poets and those totally new to English-language haiku. We value diverse approaches to haiku. We do not require adherence to the traditional 5-7-5 structure and welcome poems of up to 4 short lines that use evocative descriptive language to capture an first-hand moment with nature. Good haiku avoid subjectivity, the poet’s ego and displays of intellect, wit, and facility with words for a subtler approach that seeks to suggest rather than tell the reader what to feel or think.
- We are looking to celebrate diverse voices and experiences. Just as our trees are unique, we recognise that everyone is an individual with their own stories. Please be yourself! While autumn maples may be a traditional subject for haiku, we are looking for novel, fresh approaches that capture the beauty and revelation you experience in that moment.
- For further information about English Language haiku, we recommend the following materials
Submission Procedure
- Please only use the Microsoft form to make your submission. We cannot accept submissions by email.
- Fill in the fields for contact information including your name and location as you would want it to appear
- Type in your haiku, one per field. Maximum 2 submissions allowed. Please indicate line breaks using //.
- There is space after each haiku to provide formatting instructions, if required.
Results
- All entries are reviewed and judged by a distinguished panel of published haiku experts (see below). Judges will select
Over 18 category:
First, Second and Third placed poems and up to 6 Highly Commended poems
Under 18 (youth) category:
Special prize poem and up to 4 Runners Up poems.
- In addition, the judges will select up to a further 10 poems as ‘Honourable Mentions’.
- All winners will be emailed in advance of the release of the results publicly.
- Results will be posted on the Westonbirt Arboretum web site and social media channels and via the British Haiku Society on 5 May 2026.
- Selected poems will be displayed at Westonbirt National Arboretum during autumn 2026 through an interpretative trail and associated leaflet. Poems will also be used on associated marketing activities.
- First, second and third placed poets and those selected in highly commended category will receive a special print of their poems.
- Rights to the poems revert to the poet after the contest results have been announced.
- Forestry England reserves the right to republish selected haiku in print, on the Forestry England website web site and social media at any time. Poems will also be published on the British Haiku Society website and social media.
Judges
UK - Andrew Shimield
Canada - Lev Hart
Japan - Emiko Miyashita
Andrew and Lev are long-standing BHS members and prominent poets in the haiku community. Emiko is member of Haiku Canada and vice chair of the English-Speaking Union of Japan, as well as a director of the JAL Foundation in charge of the World Children’s Haiku Contest.
Queries
Email for questions about the contest: westonbirt.haiku@forestryengland.uk
Privacy Statement
Forestry England is a data controller under UK data protection legislation. Forestry England’s privacy policy and contact details of our Data Protection Officer can be found here www.forestryengland.uk/privacy
The personal information you provide will be used by Forestry England to enable us to facilitate this haiku contest. We store your data on our secure servers in the EU. We will keep a copy of your data for 1 year after the contest, as per our retention policy.
Under data protection legislation you have a number of rights with regards to your personal data. These are listed out in full on the Information commissioner’s website here:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/
You have the right to withdraw your consent, or lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/