Hexapod Haiku Challenge

Ever flip a log and watch millipedes scurry away? Or seen a bumble bee buzz a flower? Have you ever opened a bag of flour, only to discover it's infested with tiny beetles? These moments are perfect inspirations for writing haiku!

Who can participate: Anyone in the world who draws joy from poetry, insects and their relatives, or all of the above! Submissions from all ages and backgrounds are welcome.

What: Submissions should be haiku inspired by insects (or spiders or millipedes or other related arthropods), but related forms of poetry, like senryu & monoku, will also be considered.

Haiku are brief poems that capture a moment in time and are thus written in the present tense. These brief poems generally have 17 or fewer syllables and three or fewer lines; haiku poets who write in the English language no longer focus on counting syllables. Instead they focus on the special moment they are writing about, and keep their haiku brief.

Haiku strive to celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary, and often create meaning through a juxtaposition of two images, and through everyday language that is sensory-oriented.  

When: Submission period for the 2026 challenge will open on March 20th, and close on June 15th. 

How: Please share your haiku entries by using our submission form.

Entry Fee: None!

Bonus: All selections will be announced and featured on the Frost Entomological Museum's website, and shared in the museum's exhibit space.

2026 Special Category:  In addition to the usual age-related award categories, we will offer a special topic award this year for the best haiku featuring arthropod recyclers. Nutrient recycling is a critical ecosystem service that arthropods provide to humans and the environment, but it is not something they are often celebrated for. Tens of thousands of species feed on decomposing biological material and help move nutrients back into the environment for microbes, fungi, and plants to use. We encourage you to explore the arthropods in your compost, in rotting wood, on fallen fruit, and anywhere else you may find decaying biological material!

We can't wait to read your submissions!

Have a question? Feel free to message us: frost.museum@psu.edu

Need help writing haiku? The website Graceguts has a great article that will help you get started. 

Looking for tips on how to begin teaching haiku to students? This interview with Anne Burgevin in Teachers & Writers Magazine provides some guidance. 

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