2026 Wisconsin Sijo Competition
(The 6th Annual)The Wisconsin Sijo Competition is an annual poetry contest celebrating sijo — a traditional Korean poetic form written in English — open to writers across the state of Wisconsin.
Deadline: April 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT)
Submission Guidelines
- One entry per contestant — a single sijo in English on a topic of your choice.
- Sijo must be written in English; if other languages are included, only the English portion will be judged.
- Titles are optional.
- Entries must be submitted online via the submission form; email entries will not be accepted.
- Contestants’ names or other identifying information should not appear in the poem itself, as entries are judged anonymously.
- Past Grand Prize winners of the Wisconsin Competition are not eligible to participate.
Divisions
Divisions are based on age as of the competition deadline (April 30, 2026).
- Adult (age 19 and older)
- Senior (ages 14-18)
- Junior (age 13 and younger)
Eligibility
- Contestants must be legal residents of Wisconsin.
- Individuals temporarily residing out of state (e.g., college students or military personnel) are eligible.
- Contestants must enter the division appropriate for their age as of the competition deadline (April 30, 2026).
- Participants may not choose a higher age division.
Entries
- One sijo per contestant.
- All entries must be written in English.
- If Korean or another language is included, the entry will be judged only on its English content.
- A title is not required.
- Entries must be submitted online via the Submission Form; email submissions will not be accepted.
- By submitting, contestants grant the Wisconsin Sijo Competition organizers a non-exclusive license to publish the poem in print or online without compensation.
- There is no entry fee.
Prizes
Prizes in each division are as follows:
- Adult division: Grand Prize Winner ($300), Runner-up ($200)
- Senior division: Grand Prize Winner ($200), Runner-up ($100)
- Junior division: Grand Prize Winner ($100), Runner-up ($50)
- Judges will award prizes at their discretion; if entries do not meet quality standards, some prizes may not be awarded.
Free Books
- Free copy of The Bamboo Grove: An Introduction to Sijo by Richard Rutt, are available to a limited number of adult division entrants, courtesy of the University of Michigan Press and the Hyuk Yu Fund for Korean Studies.
- Free books are available while supplies last.
What is a sijo?
A sijo is a lyrical three-line Korean poetic form traditionally totaling about 44–46 syllables.
A Basic Guide to Writing Sijo
If you have any questions, please contact us at wisijo@sejongculturalsociety.org.
The Wisconsin Sijo Competition is a collaboration between Center for East Asian Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Sejong Cultural Society.
