The 2020 HaikUff-da Contest!
THE NORWEGIAN AMERICAN
Since most of us are spending a lot more time at home lately, and because last year’s contest was so much fun, Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace and The Norwegian American present … [drumroll]
The 2020 HaikUff-da! Contest
We invite you to write a haiku on one or all of our five topics related to Nordic-American culture. The contest runs from May 22 and closes June 19. The winners will be announced July 10.
You are allowed one entry per topic, listed below:
Midtsommer
Christmas traditions and food
Ole and Lena
Nordics and social distancing
Edvard Munch
Click here to link to the official contest page on the Ingebretsen’s website.
A quick review of what defines a haiku
The basics: A haiku is a non-rhyming poem of three lines. The first line is five syllables. The second is seven syllables and the third is five syllables.
The above structure is the only poetic requirement we make for the contest. If you want to challenge yourself and write a haiku that follows some of the other traditional rules, that is to say, the poem is a careful observation about the topic you chose, great! If you signal the season in which the haiku takes place in the first line (for example, mentioning “ice” or “mosquitos”), we will be truly impressed, but it is not required.
Don’t be shy, but do be nice. Keep it clean, steer clear of politics, and please, no snarky personal attacks. But then, you’d never do that anyway, would you?
The Prizes
Besides bragging rights, first-place winners in each category will receive a $50 gift certificate to Ingebretsen’s, good for use in the gift store or mail order. First-, second-, and third-place winners in each category will be published on our website, and we will upload a video on our YouTube channel of their haikuff-da being read in understated, Nordic-appropriate tones. The winners will also be published in the July 10 edition of The Norwegian American.
All haikuff-das will be published in a downloadable e-booklet, celebrating the literary talents of our remarkable customers and readers.
Winners will be announced on July 10.
How to Submit Your Haikuff-da
Please email each entry separately to social@ingebretsens.com. Please put the category in the subject line of the email. If you prefer snail mail, your entries can be together on a sheet of paper.
Mail to: Ingebretsen’s, 1601 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55407.
Whichever form you choose, please include your name, address, email address, and phone number.
This article originally appeared in the May 22, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American.
