Sky-ku

The Prompt

This challenge is part of our Revisited series, where we breathe new life into beloved Vocal challenges. This time, we're asking you to look up for inspiration. In this revisited version of our original High-ku challenge, your task is to craft a haiku about something in the sky. Your "something" may have a range as vast as the sky itself — from natural phenomen like a flash of lightning to a soaring baseball flung by a human.

Use the traditional 5-7-5 structure, and let your words rise as high as the clouds, stars, or sun. Your haiku should capture a singular moment or feeling, evoking a sense of wonder. Though brief, these three lines should be vivid enough to bring the sky down to earth for your readers.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• A haiku. There must be 3 lines. There must be 17 syllables. The first line should be 5 syllables, the second line should be 7 syllables, and the third line should be 5 syllables.
• Submitted to Poets community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process. Your poem may be rejected for word count requirements if it is submitted to any other community.

The Prizes

• Grand Prize: $500
• Second Place: $200
• 15 Runners-Up: $15

For your poem to be eligible, it must be follow traditional 5-7-5 haiku structure and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until November 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Sky-ku Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.