WINNERS
last day of summer...
the sky stretches with leaves
over the loft of dreams
Steliana Cristina Voicu
boundless blue
for a moment a dolphin
leaps into the sky
Iulian Ciupitu
end of summer
fewer butterflies
visiting the nursing home
Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara
the vendor street
selling the last boomerang
flock of cranes
Eduard Țară
https://www.kcf.or.jp/basho/touku/
Din haikuurile expuse pe placute in Washington, DC
https://goldentriangledc.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Haiku_2026_signs-for-website.pdf
HONORABLE MENTION
Dan C. Iulian
divorce —
the lingering
ring mark
Beverly Acuff Momoi (THF Monthly Kukai
Commentator): The echoes of “lingering” in “ring” are especially effective here, and
with just five words, a bigger and more painful story is intimated. Divorce
leaves a mark that lasts far longer than the actual event. Well done.
https://thehaikufoundation.org/thf-monthly-kukai-february-2026/
theme: bag
Honorable Mentions
coming home
in the soldier's bag
forget-me-not seeds
— Mircea Moldovan
What is the story behind the forget-me-not seeds in the soldier’s bag? We don’t know. But they represent the hope that someone who is no longer with us will not be forgotten. That’s at the heart of this haiku.
https://thehaikufoundation.org/thf-monthly-kukai-january-2026/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPErUJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeRze9yGIpMw3eM3hVOgNNJlp-jK-RPi5-Qi1f0a9vyZeI6mB-5u5ZHzMM2Mw_aem_uqMmgHi4JAJoIYA1D04uwQ
FIRST PLACE
17
silent night
a carol reverberates
among refugees
--Cezar Florescu, Botoșani/ Romania
VOTES: 323***SCORE:16
COMMENT 1:This haiku reminds us that for hundreds of millions of people, a small, cold stable is still a dream.
COMMENT 2:The silence in this haiku feels like one of fear and watchfulness; having to deliberately keep still and hush lest they get caught, and/or infers to loss and deprivation - - in the wind floats the distant sounds of singing of only those more favoured.
COMMENT 3:Hope in these dreadful times
COMMENT 4: deeply moving without explanation
SECOND PLACE
4
fireworks
our champagne glasses
gather the sparks
--Eduard TARA, ROMANIA
VOTES: 241***SCORE:13
COMMENT 1:A magic moment celebrated by an optical illusion. We wish to believe in magic with the winter holidays.
COMMENT 2:I am looking for simplicity and a feeling of shared joy!
COMMENT 3:quietly haunting
RESULTS CONTINUE
8
Christmas Eve −
on the old village lanes
just the wind carols
--Dan C. Iulian, Romania
VOTES: 121***SCORE:08
COMMENT 1: A charming, fairytale-like haiku where the wind carries the good news.
COMMENT 2: A lovely picture
11
their giggles -
a clue to our humming
“Jingle Bells”
--Ana Drobot (Bucharest, Romania)
VOTES: *11***SCORE:05
COMMENT:
14
Christmas reception -
a row of ants invading
the gingerbread house
--Cristina Pietraru, Romania
VOTES: 1*1***SCORE:04
COMMENT:
Theme: brown
Honorable Mention
Comments of Sandra Simpson, Final Judge of the 15th PIHC
10 Commendations (unranked)
flea market —
in the amber stone
another autumn
Ana Drobot, Romania
A flea market implies items of little value, but amber, for many women at least, is prized. That first insect name gently led me to imagine an insect trapped in the amber. A nice colour comparison between amber and autumn, and good word choices with all the repeating ‘m’ sounds. Echoes of Shiki’s „for me going /for you staying... /two autumns„.
https://psh.org.pl/15th-pihc-2025-results/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOdpfZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeRBu2nscj92kPVTMDJyjdv9OhAYZ13zenLQLep-jvFy6GefXKf6b9JR-V1Is_aem_LDV0kWHzK25DQgiE2KPb0w
2nd - * * * Iulia Matei * * *
autumn sunset—
a shade of longing
in everything
Iulia Matei
Bucharest, Romania
*
The 3rd place- Cristian Matei
autumn sunset -
shadows return
to the battlefield
Cristian Matei
Bucharest, Romania
CÂȘTIGĂTORI PREMII SPECIALE (Secțiunea
ENGLEZĂ)
Honorable Mentions
Cristina Pietraru
old pond
an origami frog floating
among tadpoles
折り紙の蛙浮かべぬ蝌蚪の池
Dan C. Iulian
it’s snowing -
how materializes
the silence
沈黙が物の形に雪積もり
First Place
(Best Overall - English language Haiku)
Dan C. Iulian
weeding
the garden -
kneeling grandfather holds
the sky on his shoulders
Shajin Watanabe: This poem is a unique nod to spring honouring an elderly man who holds the world on his back while completing the simple spring task of weeding. Imagery pays homage to the process and respects the importance of growth cycles. The older man nurtures the rebirth of the young garden by ridding it of its obstacles. The idea of him kneeling and taking care of the garden encaptures the form and function of the earth in spring time.
https://ejca.org/Spring-Haiku-Competition
nursing home courtyard—
shadows slowly gliding
to darkness
Cristian Matei, Romania
I find this haiku in equal measure poignant and (dare I say it) haunting.
https://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/haiku-results-nzps-international-poetry-competition-2025/
PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE
Mirela Brailean – Romania
the buzz of bees
the buzz of people...
sakura
AWARD FOR OVERALL PERFORMANCE
Cezar Ciobîcă – Romania
Earth Hour Party –
three generations around
the old cherry tree
rumors of peace...
the breeze carrying away
cherry petals
first love poem
of their autistic boy...
cherry blossoms
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cristian Matei – Romania
cherries in blossom –
in grandma’s hands
old love letters
Eduard Tara – Romania
late cherry blossom
never too old
for the next journey
WINNER
(入賞 )
Iuliu
Cedan (Dan C. Iulian)
first color
lipstick -
little girl biting
into
watermelon slice
https://senryu-contest.weebly.com/prize-winning-work2024.html
Third Place
by the seashore
echoes in the wind--
your whispers
from the depths
i feel them as a calling
Cristian Matei
Bucharest, Romania
I love the emotional quality of this tanka. The seashore has always spoken to me. and the depths ever present. I love that here they are felt not just calling, but as "a calling"! This is more than an allure, It is an imperative. What must we do? And why. There is mystery here. The personal quality of the call is held in the tanka, where mystery so beautifully resides.
the evening falls
over the linden in bloom--
the fragrance
shaping your face
drawn from my memory
Cristian Matei
Bucharest, Romania
Lyrical and evocative, the powerful fragrance brings the poet to a creative ecstasy. The words "shape" and :"drawn" are exquisitely used. The face is drawn out of the past in memory and perhaps, could even be a drawing (drawn) artwork itself.
Honourable Mention
towing
a flock of seagulls –
fishing boat
Capotã Daniela Lãcrãmioara
Romania