2026 Wisconsin Sijo Competition
Winners | Judges | Winners' Sijo
Winners
| Adult Division | Senior Division | Junior Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | No winner | Chloe Lietzau Dousman, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
No winner |
| Runners-up |
Jeremiah David La Crosse, WI sijo |
Anna Dentice Oconomowoc, WI (Terri Carnell) sijo |
Opal Slotty-Thomas Waukesha, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
| Genevieve Dwyer West Bend, WI sijo |
Sawyer Kiefer Waukesha, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
Griffin Basthemer Wales, WI (Tiffany Zeirke) sijo |
|
| Samuel Ruppert Delafield, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
Elliot James Bice Wales, WI (Tiffany Zeirke) sijo |
( ) Teacher's name
Adult division
I first learned of the Wisconsin Sijo Competition from a writers' publishing newsletter and saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself by writing in a new form.
I wrote about a recent medical experience that I couldn't seem to move on from, a Kafkaesque conversation with the billing office of my local hospital. The sijo seemed to effortlessly accommodate my retelling of this experience, which reminded me--if I needed the reminder--to trust my instincts when a story or poem nags at me, to write it down as soon as possible, whatever form it takes.
I intend to add this piece to a growing collection of poetry, which will hopefully be fated for publication in book-form.
The poet Richard Hugo is a hero of mine--I hope to one day write a poem half as good as his "Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg."
I discovered Sejong Cultural Society and this competition a few years ago while browsing online for activities based on Korean culture.
Compared to other sijo I have written in the past, I wanted to make this sijo rhyme at the end. I had to learn how to keep the rhyme while staying true to what I wanted to say, as well as staying within the syllable limits. As a result, I had many drafts of this sijo, but this was ultimately the one I felt was the best!
In the future, I hope to learn more about Korean literary art forms and develop my Korean language skills so that I can read them with no translation.
My past language teachers are my heroes, since they have always inspired me to be more ambitious and to always do my best.
Senior division
I discovered this competition through my favorite English teacher, Elizabeth Jorgensen. Channeling a complex emotion into such a precise structure of sijo was a rewarding experience and creative challenge. The most pivotal thing I learned was just how much I enjoy writing poetry independently. Since then, I’ve continued to write whenever inspiration strikes, and recording my poems in my personal journals.
My poem, Childhood Home, grew out of thinking about the passage of time and the nostalgia of looking back at where I was raised. I wanted to capture the quiet safety of early memories and the internal compass that draws us back toward our origins, no matter how far we wander as we grow older.
My parents are the true inspiration for this piece. Through their constant support in my academics and my life, they have provided the secure foundation that has allowed me to grow. Their encouragement has taught me the value of remembering where I come from while confidently looking toward where I am going.
Looking to the future, I plan to make the most of my remaining three years of high school by becoming more involved in my community through volunteering. My ultimate goal is to move out of state to pursue a career as an attorney, where I hope to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, no matter the scale.
I discovered this competition through my creative writing class at Arrowhead High School. We explored many different types of poetry and prose, and this was one of the first poems that I wrote. I enjoyed exploring sijo, because it taught me the impact of structure and storytelling in poetry. I learned that an intentional use of a few words can have a profound impact.
This fall I’m attending UW–Madison and pursuing a molecular biology degree. I can’t wait to use both my creativity and scientific thinking in medical research.
Lastly, if I had to choose one hero, it would be Jesus Christ. Through God’s grace, I am saved and made free.
I discovered this competition through my English teacher, Ms. Jorgensen.
In writing this sijo, I learned that poems don’t always have to make sense, and that sometimes words can be there with no explanation.
One of my goals for my future is to get into Marquette University for a Civil Law degree.
Someone whom I consider a hero to me is my dad. In my life, my dad has given me so many opportunities and helped me steer my life in the correct direction. He taught me heroes don’t always have to save the day, but can guide you through one.
I discovered this competition through my English teacher. We did a lot of poetry in April and one of the lessons we learned was on Sijo. Our English teacher taught us about Sijo and had us write our own, then she had us submit them to this competition.
I learned that it was pretty hard to get my ideas out while staying within the rules of Sijo. I had to change my wording and scrap ideas because they wouldn’t follow the rules, so I learned how to overcome these barriers and still share my ideas.
My future goals are to be able to find a job and be able to support myself. I haven’t figured out what I want to do for a job or what I really want to do with my life. So I'm hoping in the near future I will be able to figure it out and find the right path to go down.
I really look up to my parents and consider them my heroes. They have helped me become who I am today and still continue to support me even if it’s hard..
Junior division
My name is Opal, and I'm a fourth grader at Banting Elementary. I enjoy art, listening to music (phonk), and cuddling with my cat, Mochi. I learned about sijo from my aunt. When I was writing the sijo, I wanted the readers to think about the beauty of nature.
I discovered this competition when the high school students came over to our school and told us about the poem contest.
I learned what a sijo poem was. I thought the poem was easy to write but it took a lot of steps. First I had to jot down my ideas then I turned it into a rough draft and then made the sijo poem.
In the future I want to play a lot of golf. I also want to work in a lego factory and learn how they are built. I consider Tiger Woods my hero. He showed a lot of success in achieving his goal to become one of the greatest and youngest golfers.
I discovered this competition when the high schoolers came over to the elementary school and taught us about sijo. They had us write one and then submitted it into the competition.
Before this competition, I didn’t even know what sijo were, but I love writing poems, so I caught on really fast. I learned that it is kind of like a haiku but has very different syllable patterns. I am really good at writing haiku and figuring out the syllable breaks so I caught on pretty fast. Some of my future goals are to be a middle school orchestra conductor, and I love to write music, so I want to write a famous classical composition someday.
I consider a lot of people my hero, especially my family for supporting me through my violin journey and my violin instructor for helping me get to the level that I am. I also think that my teachers play a big role in supporting me and helping me progress farther than the rest of the class.