SEITO Hyakunin Isshu 8th Tanka Poety Contest D.W.C.L.A.

Hyakunin Isshu means "one poem each by a hundred poets."
It is the name of a famous thirteenth century anthology of tanka.
A tanka is a traditional form of Japanese poetry written in 31-syllables, in units of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables.

Is there something you would like to say?
Someone you would like to say it to?
Why not try to express yourself in a tanka written in English?

Doshisha Women's College is sponsoring a tanka poetry contest for high school students.
If you are a high school student, we invite you to give it a try --
express your everyday thoughts and feelings in a tanka written in English.
Fill the tanka with the vitality of your youthful spirit.

SEITO means "student," and the contest is open to
high school students in Japan and in countries all around the world.
We hope that by participating in this contest you will be able to learn more about yourself,
take a fresh look at society, enrich your heart, and expand your world view.

Submission Period and Deadline:	June 1, 2009 -- October 30, 2009 (*All submissions must be received by October 30, 2009 .)
Eligibility:	Entrants must be currently enrolled in a high school either in Japan or overseas.
Submission Requirements:	Previously unpublished tanka. (Any submission which is discovered to have been previously published will be excluded from consideration in the contest.)
Thematic Requirements:	Please write a tanka filled with life; one that comes from your everyday feelings, moments of realization or insight, view of life, and/or joys and sorrows, as a high school student.
How to Make a Submission:	Complete the online application. One person may make as many submissions as he or she wishes, however, it is only possible for one person to be awarded one prize.
The judges will include:	TERAKAWA Machio(Professor, Doshisha Women's College), UMENAI Mikako (Member of the Karin tanka group, ex-moderator of the NHK Tanka-za TV program), N.J.TEELE(President, Professor, Doshisha Women's College), KOMOTO Yoko(Professor, Doshisha Women's College), SUGINO Toru(Professor, Doshisha Women's College), YASUMORI Toshitaka (Professor, Doshisha Women's College, tanka poet), YOSHIKAI Naoto(Professor, Doshisha Women's College), YOSHINO Masaharu(Professor, Doshisha Women's College)

Announcement
of the Results
of the
Competition:

December 22, 2009. Announcements will be made by mail, to the winners. The names of the winners will also be posts on the Doshisha Women's College homepage.

Prizes:

There will be one hundred winners.
Each will receive a certificate, 10,000 yen in card for buying books, and a copy of the whole collection of winning poems, "SEITO Hyakunin Isshu."
High schools may also send in groups of submissions, in which case they may qualify for a special "School Award."

Others

The one hundred students whose entries are selected will be asked to provide a comment on the background of the tanka selected (i.e., the event or situation that inspired it).

The one hundred tanka selected, and information about other entries, including information regarding the number of students entering poems, and their grade, and the names of the high schools the students attend, will be included in a small volume and sent to those involved.

Doshisha Women's College retains all rights for entries submitted.

Entries will not be returned.

The personal information regarding those whose poems are selected (name, high school attended, grade) will be included in the booklet published containing the winning entries and on the relative page of the college web site. The addresses of those whose entries are selected will be confirmed through contact with the student's high school, so that a copy of the booklet containing all of the winning entries can be sent to him or her. The above information will be used for no other purpose.

Questions
should be
directed to:

tanka@dwc.doshisha.ac.jp

SEITO Hyakunin Isshu Tanka Contest: Submissions Section

Department of Japanese Language and Literature

Faculty of Culture and Representation
Doshisha Women's College
Imadegawa,kamigyo-ku,kyoto,602-0893, Japan

Phone: 075-251-4106　FAX: 075-251-4108

Complete the online application >>