Haiku Hike | Planting Seeds
Now On Display in Downtown Tucson!
Presented by The Downtown Tucson Partnership (DTP) and the University of Arizona Poetry Center, the 4th annual Haiku Hike literary competition showcases twenty winning haiku poems printed on acrylic signage in planters located on Congress Street and Stone Avenue. Tucson's poet Laureate, TC Tolbert, selected this year's winning haiku. These signs will provide visual and cultural interest during the spring season, through June 1. This year's theme is Planting Seeds.
4th annual Haiku Hike 2023
Theme: Planting Seeds
1,556haiku were submitted
1,114submissions came from Tucson
28different states represented in the submissions
23different countries represented in the submissions
Locations of the Winning Haiku 2023
Click on the numbered points in the map below to read each Poet's haiku, where they're from in the world, and where their haiku is displayed in Downtown Tucson.
Guidelines
A participant may enter the competition once, submitting a maximum of three original haiku. We will only consider haiku that follows the three line, 5-7-5 syllable count format of American haiku. Submissions that don’t follow this format won’t be considered. Submissions were only be accepted through the official online submission form by March 9, 2023. Poets were encouraged to submit haiku reflecting this year's theme: Planting Seeds
Judging
Haiku entries were judged by Tucson's poet Laureate, TC Tolbert. Click here to learn more about how to write a haiku. Twenty winning poems were selected from hundreds of haiku submissions. Only one winning entry per person. All 20 winners receive public recognition and their work featured on public signage downtown, online and in the media.
About
Presented by The Downtown Tucson Partnership (DTP) and the University of Arizona Poetry Center, the annual Haiku Hike literary competition showcases twenty winning haiku poems printed on acrylic signage in planters located along Congress Street and Stone Avenue. These signs provide visual and cultural interest throughout the spring season, beginning March 20 and ending June 1. An urban poetry hike through downtown following the haiku trail is the perfect opportunity for the public to get reacquainted with all that Tucson’s urban center has to offer.
20winning haiku poems
displayed throughout the Spring season
selected by poet laureate of Tucson, TC Tolbert
1,000approx. footsteps on the Haiku Hike
Previous Competitions:
3rd annual Haiku Hike 2022
Theme: Metamorphosis
1,056haiku were submitted
635submissions came from Tucson
29different states represented in the submissions
28different countries represented in the submissions
2nd annual Haiku Hike 2020 (postponed to 2021)
Theme: Living in the Present Moment
712haiku were submitted
572submissions came from Tucson
14different states represented in the submissions
8different countries represented in the submissions
1st annual Haiku Hike 2019
Theme: Life In the City
977haiku were submitted
825submissions came from Tucson
12different states represented in the submissions
5different countries represented in the submissions