The 2009 Hot Tomato Haiku Contest

Thank You for the Many Wonderful Submissions!

The submissions deadline has passed for this year’s contest, but this year’s winners are posted here. Please visit the 2010 Haiku Page to sign up to be notified for next year’s contest.

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Tomato haiku?
And the winners get prizes?
Sounds like fun to me!

Ladies and Gentlemen. Step right up for this year’s Hot Tomato Haiku Contest! For the second year in a row, Nashville’s Tomato Art Fest plays host to the hottest, rowdiest haiku contest in the South. If you’ve got the poetic urge, why not vent it with us?

Prizes for this year’s winning haiku include an iPod Touch® for Best of Show, gift certificates to local shops for each Category winner, and the people’s ovation and fame forever! (Download this year’s flyer here.)

The deadline for entries is Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 11:59pm.

Categories

Each haiku must be tomato-related and must be entered in one of the five categories below. Though our first two categories reward serious observation of the art of the haiku, the next two wander into sillier territory. And don’t forget to let your kids in on the action!

• Bashō’s Beefsteak — Sincere, ardent, traditional . . . reminiscent of haiku genius Bashō.
• Formal Champion — Surprise and delight us with your innovations in form.
• Plum Humorous — Make us grin.
• Stinky Tomato — Your worst, most rotten haiku.
• Fried Green Haiku — For kids up to age 12.

The winner in each category will receive a gift certificate to a local shop (TBD) and will be invited to read the winning haiku on stage at the Tomato Art Fest Award Ceremony (Nashville, August 8th). Best in Show will win an iPod Touch and may come from any of the five categories.

Rules and How to Enter

1. Have fun with it. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and neither should you!
2. Haiku must be in English and must be related to tomatoes in some way.
3. Generally speaking, haiku submissions should observe the use of three (or fewer) lines of 17 or fewer syllables. The 5-7-5 pattern of syllables is a good place to start, though intentional, thoughtful formal innovation is encouraged.
4. All submissions should be family friendly.
5. The deadline for entries is Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 11:59pm.
6. Enter up to 10 haiku total to this year’s contest (through the email address given below).
7. Submit only one haiku per email and note each haiku’s category (only one category per entry) in the email subject line.
8. Include your name and contact information–some combination of email/phone/address–in the BODY of each email. (We will never sell your info or spam you in any way.)
9. Kids under 12 must get their parents’ permission to participate. Parents may help submit their child’s haiku, but parents should not influence their child’s writing beyond a basic explanation of what a haiku is.
10. You do not need to be present to win, but winners should be ready to read their winning haiku at this year’s Tomato Art Fest (August 8th, Nashville, TN).
11. You may resubmit a haiku from past years as long as it wasn’t chosen for the Top 10 in any category.
12. By entering, you agree to be bound by the Legal Agreement at the bottom of this page.

If you agree to the Rules above and below, submit your haiku, its category, and your contact information to the following email address:

Judges

Our judges this year hail from Nashville’s own Belmont University’s English Department.

• Bonnie Smith – Bonnie Smith teaches English at Belmont University, directs the campus writing center, and … with her ribald sis / has exchanged reams of haiku / by pen, screen–for years
• Danielle Alexander – Danielle Alexander teaches writing, including creative writing, in the English department at Belmont University, and writes fiction (as well as work in sundry other miscellaneous genres). She believes that the haiku in English exemplifies both vigorous hybridity (being neither “fruit” nor “vegetable”) and a stunning simplicity that would make Bashō proud (haikus are best picked fresh from the vine and eaten immediately, with a pinch of salt). Alexander is currently waiting for her Zapotec Pleateds to ripen.
• David Curtis - David Curtis is the Chair of the English Department at Belmont University, where he teaches writing and American Literature. He has always been a big fan of well-done verse of all kinds, especially Haiku. Sadly, though, after a traumatic infestation of Tomato Hornworms in his garden two years ago, he no longer grows his own tomatoes.
  
  

Legal Agreement/Rules

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. You do not need to be present to win, though you must make a sincere effort to attend the prize ceremony if you do win. We will consider all entries, no matter their origin, with the following exceptions: Entries submitted after Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 11:59pm will not be considered. Entries with more than one haiku per email will not be considered. Entries without a category designation will not be considered. Entries without contact information will not be considered.

The judges’ decisions are final. No employee of BookFool.com or member of their family may win. No judge or member of their family may win.

Originality: By entering, you represent and warrant that your submissions are your original work that does not defame anyone or infringe on anyone’s rights (including copyright, trademark, or common law rights).

Release: By entering, you agree that your submission and your name/likeness may be used in perpetuity, in any media and by all means, to promote the Hot Tomato Haiku Contest, BookFool.com, or the Tomato Art Festival, and that you will not be compensated for its use.

Confidentiality and Winning: If you are chosen as a winner, you agree not to disclose your winning status to anyone before the prize ceremony on August 8th, 2009. Winners will be notified by phone/email by NOON on Wednesday, August 5th. If we can’t immediately reach you, we will call/write several times throughout the day and will leave a message if necessary. If you do not write/call back to confirm that you’ve won by August 6th at 5pm, another winner will be chosen.

By entering, you represent that you have the right to enter into this agreement and everything that entails. The parents of children entering the Fried Green Haiku (Under 12) category agree to be bound by this agreement along with their children. You also agree that you or your agents will not bring any action or claim against BookFool.com or the Tomato Art Festival from circumstances arising from your participation in this contest. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless BookFool.com and the Tomato Art Festival from any claims arising from a third party.

We may assign our rights under this agreement to any person or entity as we see fit. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee and shall be deemed executed in Nashville, TN, no matter your country, state, or county of origin.

By entering, you warrant that you have read and understand this agreement and agree to be bound by it.

Prizes are furnished by BookFool.com. Prizes have been purchased at commercial rates and do not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by the companies they represent. iPod Touch® is a registered trademark of Apple. iPod is 8GB unless otherwise noted.