Let's write down the scenery of your heart. The 35th ITOEN Oi Ocha New Haiku Grand Prix Deadline for entries is approaching! The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize is 500,000 yen

　ITO EN (President: Daisuke Honjo, Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) is accepting entries for the 35th ITO EN Oi Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize until Thursday, February 29 (postmarked on the day of entry/transmission). 2,000 winners will receive a copy of Oi Ocha with their winning entries on it. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, the highest award, will be presented with a cash prize of 500,000 yen, and the Kabuta Kaneko Award and the grand prize winners in each category, a total of eight winners, will receive a cash prize of 200,000 yen.

　The "ITO EN Oi-Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize" was launched in 1989 when the name of the product was changed from "Sencha in a can" to "Oi-Ocha. The contest is open to anyone who freely and spontaneously expresses his or her feelings and thoughts in the rhythm of five, seven, and five, without being bound by seasonal terms or fixed formulas. The latest 34th contest received more than 1,920,000 submissions from 65 countries and regions, making it the largest haiku contest in Japan in terms of the number of entries, with a cumulative total of more than 43.5 million haiku.

　With the hope that the 35th contest, which marks a milestone, will be even more enjoyable, the New Haiku Grand Prize website will feature an interview with the final judges by "Oi Ocha-kun," the official character of ITO EN's Oi Ocha, entitled "What are the tips for winning the prize as told by the judges? and "Let's Try Haiku Creation with Your Child!" by Seiko Ito and Itsuki Natsui. The video of the dialogue between Mr. Seiko Ito and Mr. Itsuki Natsui is also available. We have also included "Materials for Teachers" that can be used in school classes. We hope you will take a look at it and try your hand at submitting new haiku.

　There are three entry categories: "Elementary School Students (including infants)," "Junior High School Students," "High School Students," "General Category A (under 40)," "General Category B (over 40)," and "English Haiku," which can be submitted by postcard, fax, or internet, and "New Haiku Photo Category," which combines haiku and a photograph you have taken yourself. For more information on how to apply, please visit the New Haiku Photo Contest website. For details on how to apply, please visit the New Haiku Grand Prize website. ( https://itoen-shinhaiku.jp )

Oi Ocha_Haiku Publication Bottle

Oi Ocha" bottle on which the winning entry for the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award was published.

The 35th ITOEN Oi Ocha New Haiku Grand Prix_Call for Entries Advertisement

35th Call for Entries Start Conversation_Video Banner

Tips for winning the prize_video banner

<The 35th ITOEN Oi Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize Application Guidelines

*For details, please refer to the ITO EN New Haiku Grand Prize website ( https://itoen-shinhaiku.jp ).

Entry Categories (7 categories)

Elementary school students (including infants), Junior high school students, High school students, General category A (under 40 years old), General category B (over 40 years old), English haiku, New haiku photo category.

Application Guidelines (except for the New Haiku Photo Division)

Application period

　Friday, November 3, 2023 (national holiday) - Thursday, February 29, 2024 (postmarked on the day of entry)

Application Method

　Entries may be submitted by postcard, fax (A4 size), or via the Internet, with a maximum of six entries per person in both Japanese and English.

　Please include the following information: "Division and work," "postal code," "address," "name," "age," "telephone number," "e-mail address," and "name of haiku club, school, or circle (if any).

　If you are submitting a postcard, please write only the "category and work" on the back of the postcard and the other information on the front.

Application address

　Postcard: 3-23 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8553

　　　　　　　　 ITO EN Oi-Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize Section

　TEL: 03-3264-4050

　　　　　　　　 (Office hours: 10:00-18:00 *Except Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and year-end and New Year holidays)

　FAX : 03-3263-5668

　Website: https://itoen-shinhaiku.jp

Prizes

　Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award: One winner from Japanese-language haiku (cash prize of 500,000 yen and extra prize)

　Kabutota Kaneko Prize: One winner from each category of Japanese-language haiku (cash prize of 200,000 yen and extra prize)

　Grand Prize: One winner from each category (cash prize of 200,000 yen and extra prize)

　In addition, a total of 2,000 entries up to the Honorable Mention Special Prize will be published on "Oi Ocha" brand packages.

Announcement

　The top 2,000 winning entries will be announced on ITO EN's website and other sites in late October 2024 (scheduled).

　Applicants will also be notified of the screening results by mail or e-mail in early November.

　The 2,000 winning entries will appear on "Oi Ocha" brand packages from winter 2024 onward.

Judges (in alphabetical order, titles omitted)

　Japanese Haiku: Shinpei Asai (photographer), Atsushi Anzai (haiku poet),

　　　　　　　Seiko Ito(Writer, Creator)

　　　　　　　Hideo Kanedaichi (Japanese language scholar), Itsuki Natsui (haiku poet),

　　　　　　　Miyabe Miyuki(Author), Muraji Kaori(Guitarist)

　English Haiku: Arthur Binard (poet), Tsunehiko Hoshino (haiku poet)

The 35th_Final Judges List

Application Guidelines (New Haiku Photo Division)

Entry Period

　1st round: November 3, 2023 (Fri., holiday) - December 10, 2023 (Sun.)

　Second round: Monday, December 11, 2023 - Sunday, January 14, 2024

　Third session: January 15, 2024 (Monday) - February 29, 2024 (Thursday)

　Five new haiku photo prizes will be selected and announced after the deadline for each contest.

　New Haiku Photo Awards

　　The 1st New Haiku Photo Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 11, 2024, the 2nd New Haiku Photo Awards on Thursday, February 15, 2024, and the 3rd New Haiku Photo Awards on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

　Winners will be notified by direct message.

How to apply

　Follow the ITO EN New Haiku Grand Prize official account ( https://twitter.com/itoen_newhaiku ) on X (formerly Twitter).

　Post your own photo and haiku (all must be unpublished) with the hashtag "#NewHaikuPhoto #Oi-Ocha".

　 Only one work (one haiku + one image) per submission.

Qualifications

　Individuals who have agreed to all of the Campaign's implementation guidelines.

　Those who have an X (formerly Twitter) account (those under 18 years of age must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian before submitting).

　 (If you are under 18 years old, you must apply with the consent of a parent or guardian.

Prizes

　New Haiku Photo Prize: 5 winners each time, for a total of 15 winners. 1 case (24 bottles) of 600ml PET bottles of "Oi Ocha Green Tea

　＜The following prizes will be awarded from among the 15 entries selected for the New Haiku Photo Awards.

　Grand Prize: One winner will receive a cash prize of 200,000 yen and additional prizes.

　Excellence Award: 3 winners, 50,000 yen and extra prize

Judges

　Shinpei Asai (Photographer)

Shinpei Asai (Photographer)

34th_Entries

34th_Entry Breakdown by Category

＜Reference＞About ITO EN Oi Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize

Background of the project

　The year 1989 marked the 300th anniversary of Matsuo Basho's "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), and haiku was enjoying a quiet boom. The previous year, Machi Tawara's "Salad Anniversary" sold 2.6 million copies. Haiku and tanka poetry also became increasingly popular at culture centers around this time, bringing new interest to the world of traditional short poem form literature. However, many of them had few opportunities to present their works, partly because they were beginners, and their desire to do so grew stronger.

　Therefore, Ito En began to consider the possibility of contributing to the general public's love of haiku, a traditional Japanese cultural form, by offering green tea, which is nurtured by Japanese culture...

Sencha in a can

Oi Ocha_Can

Concept of the project

New Haiku" with a free theme and the rhythm of 5-7-5 haiku

　Haiku is a form of haiku that places great importance on its own detailed promises (season words, set form, etc.). However, there are many wonderful haiku that do not have to fulfill these promises. The expression that is not bound by these rules makes it easier for beginners to tackle haiku, and at the same time, allows them to compete with veterans in the same field of "expressiveness.

　Thus, the "ITOEN Oi-Ocha New Haiku Grand Prize" was born, in which the creative restrictions are eliminated as much as possible, and haiku are freely expressed in the rhythm of five, seven, and five. In addition to leading experts in haiku, we have asked judges from various fields such as photography, music, literature, etc. to judge the contest from a new and broad perspective.

Prize-winning works will appear on "Oi Ocha" packages

　Ito En's "Oi Ocha" is loved by many people throughout Japan, and its package can be used as a media tool. We thought that "New Haiku," which has no restrictions on creativity, would be appropriate for "Oi Ocha". We believe that opening up the packaging of our products to the public as a place for the presentation of short sentences is a new cultural activity that is in tune with the modern age.

The 34th _Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award_Published Bottles

The response and contribution of the New Haiku Grand Prize

　The number of entries to the first edition of the New Haiku Grand Prize was 41,373, but in the most recent 34th edition, the number of entries reached more than 1,920,000, and the total number of entries exceeded 43,577,138. One of the major characteristics of the new haiku is that many of the entries are from first-time haiku creators. At the same time, for veteran haiku poets, the New Haiku Grand Prize seems to have taken root as a place where they can enjoy haiku in a new way.

　Recently, TV programs featuring haiku have become popular, and interest in haiku is growing among junior high and high school students and younger generations who have had little contact with haiku in the past.

　In addition, "Oi Ocha" is loved not only by people in Japan but also by people all over the world. Entries to the New Haiku Grand Prize from overseas have reached a cumulative total of 103 countries, and the haiku are also attracting attention as "HAIKU. ITO EN, aiming to be the world's leading tea company, hopes to promote the development of green tea, a traditional Japanese beverage, overseas, and to protect Japanese culture through haiku, another traditional Japanese culture, and to share it with society at large.