Rules for English Haiku

 ❶ Themed Haiku Submission (Assigned Theme Category)

Three untitled photographs taken in Matsuyama will be posted on the website. Please select one photograph and compose a haiku inspired by it. Enter the photo number you selected and upload your haiku via the application form.

Participants are invited to take their own photograph and compose a haiku based on it.

Upload both the photograph and the haiku via the application form.

How to Apply

Fill out the online application form and submit your haiku(s) according to the rules above.

❶ Themed Haiku Submission (Assigned Theme Category)

❷ Free Haiku Submission (Open Theme Category)

 Announcement

Winners of the Grand Prize and Excellence Awards will be notified by phone or email and announced on the website at the end of February 2026.

Prizes

【❶ Themed Haiku Submission (Assigned Theme Category)】

Grand Prize (1 winner): Equivalent to 20,000 JPY

Excellence Awards (2 winners): Equivalent to 3,000 JPY each

【❷ Free Haiku Submission (Open Theme Category)】

Grand Prize (1 winner): Equivalent to 20,000 JPY

Excellence Awards (2 winners): Equivalent to 3,000 JPY each

Important Notes for Application

 ◾️General Rules

Copyrights for the winning and selected works belong to the authors.

However, the organizer reserves the right to publish the winning and selected works in printed materials or on the official website.

◾️❶ Assigned Theme Category

Submitted haiku must be original, unpublished works for which the applicant holds the copyright.

Please ensure that the theme number is entered correctly.

◾️❷Open Theme Category

Submitted haiku and photographs must be original, unpublished works for which the applicant holds the copyright. If the submitted photograph includes identifiable individuals, the applicant is responsible for obtaining consent for both photography and submission.

◾️Application

Online submissions only.

Please fill out the application form with the required information and submit your entry. The maximum file size for attached photographs is approximately 2MB to 4MB, so please adjust the size before uploading.

◾️Other Notices

The organizer reserves the right to change or cancel the contest without prior notice due to unavoidable circumstances.

◾️Handling of Personal Information

Personal information provided will be handled in accordance with the JTB Corporation’s Privacy Policy.

The collected data will be used solely for purposes related to contest selection and communication.

For winning works, the author’s name (pen name or real name),  country, and prefecture will be announced.

This contest is conducted with financial support from the Japan Tourism Agency.

◾️Disqualification

Entries that violate the application guidelines may be disqualified or excluded from publication on the official website at the discretion of the organizer.

Co-organizers

• JTB Corp., Matsuyama Branch
• Shikoku Tours Co., Ltd.

Supported by

• Matsuyama City
• Japan Traditional Haiku Association
• Haiku Poets Association, Public Interest Incorporated Association
• Modern Haiku Association
• International Haiku Association

Masako Kakutani

Born in Tokyo, Kakutani has studied haiku under Yuko Kagiwada since 1988. She has published several haiku collections, including Honryū (The Mainstream), Genryū (The Source) and Chikasui Myaku (Underground Aquifer). Her critical works include Reading 100 Haiku by Seishi Yamaguchi and Seeking the Currents of Haiku: Poets Who Passed Away in the Heisei Era (winner of the Association of Haiku Poets and Museum of Haiku Literature Criticism Award). She has co-authored works such as English Quatrains and Floral Saijiki. Kakutani used to be a supervisor of the NHK World Haiku program. Now an instructor of English haiku courses, a board member of the Association of Haiku Poets and Museum of Haiku Literature and the International Haiku Association. She is also a councilor of the Museum of Modern Japanese Poetry, Essays and Literature, and a member of the Japan P.E.N Club and wrote the “Haiku Critique” column for the Asahi Shimbun.

Kit Pancoast Nagamura

(International haiku poet, photographer, essayist)

Kit Pancoast Nagamura is a poet, author, and travel writer who settled permanently in Japan and completed her doctoral studies here. She co-hosted NHK World’s HAIKU MASTERS TV program for three years and has received numerous haiku awards, including top prizes at the Ito En Oi Ocha International Haiku Contest, the Setouchi-Matsuyama International Photo-Haiku Contest, and first prize in the 2020 Santōka International Haiga Contest. Nagamura serves as a judge for various international haiku competitions. Her photographic works are held in private collections worldwide. She also wrote The Backstreet Stories column for The Japan Times (2008‒) and co-authored 1,800 Japanese Expressions for Everyday Conversation (Kodansha International, 2010).

Contact Information

English Haiku Contest Organizing Committee (JTB Corp., Matsuyama Branch)

Tourism Development Producer:  TAKESHI TADASHIGE

Address: K-13 Building, 5th Floor 3-9-3 Sanbancho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0003, Japan

TEL: +81-89-943-3321　FAX: +81-89-934-6626

Email: matsuyama_eigyo@jtb.com

Production Supervision

Ruth Vergin

Board Member, Matsuyama International Association