Haiku Contest
Announcing our Finalists!
We are thrilled to announce the four winners of this year’s Haiku Contest! Each of the following poems was selected by judge and San Mateo Poet Laureate Emerita Aileen Cassinetto from among over 500 individual haiku poems submitted this year.
These evocative poems highlight nature’s many generosities and the role it plays as a place for contemplation, joy, and healing. We invite you to come visit Filoli during the month of May and experience them as they are displayed in the lush spring Garden!
Finalists
First Place
チューリップ庭師の心届きけり
the tulip
gardener’s heartfelt message
reaching me
—Makiko Ishida
Second Place
Filoli in bloom—
my plans wilt at the gate’s edge.
Joy takes root instead.
—Melinda Atkins
Best Under 18
Looking up at clouds
Lying among daffodils
You can find your peace
—Zoe Leemhuis
Ecopoetry Award
Just standing, I cast
Whole worlds in sudden dusk—
Bee pauses, mid flight
—Beth McMurray
Semi-finalists
garden party
the hummingbird hovers
impatiently
—Sneha Sundaram
チューリップ庭師の心届きけり
the tulip
gardener’s heartfelt message
reaching me
—Makiko Ishida
Hills go to sleep green,
wake up yellow. Oxalis
springs up everywhere.
—Patricia Doyne
Looking up at clouds
Lying among daffodils
You can find your peace
—Zoe Leemhuis
Ten years with you, love.
The flowers tell our story.
Blossoming each year.
—Caiti Busch
Spring unfolds her dress
And struts her stuff in colors—
Teasing us to smile.
—Nancy Vincler
Just standing, I cast
Whole worlds in sudden dusk—
Bee pauses, mid flight
—Beth McMurray
A graceful, strong force,
flowers bloom without a sound,
yet have much to say.
—Amy Wong
Filoli in bloom—
my plans wilt at the gate’s edge.
Joy takes root instead.
—Melinda Atkins
White wisteria
flutters in soft April breeze.
A wood bench awaits.
—Jennifer Trainor
Theme
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the contest, we are inviting work that highlights nature’s many generosities and the role it plays as a place for contemplation, joy, and healing. Please share your own personal and communal stories to Filoli’s Garden and the way it keeps us rooted and resilient.
The special Ecopoetry Award will recognize a haiku that celebrates this theme while touching on the connection between humans and the environment.
Timing
- The contest opens on Friday, March 14, 2025.
- Entries should be submitted by midnight PST on Monday, April 14.
- The 10 semi-finalist poems will be announced on the website on Earth Day, April 22.
- Prize winners will be announced May 1.
Prizes
First Place: Filoli Family Membership and Gift Basket
Second Place: Filoli Individual Membership
Best Under 18: Filoli Student Individual Membership
Filoli Ecopoetry Award: Filoli Individual Membership
Rights: Poems submitted will be used by Filoli for promotional materials, and the winning poems may be published on our social media and marketing channels