FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release from the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, D.C

Winner Selected for First Annual Haiku Contest

Co-Presented by the Japan Information and Culture Center and the Japan America Society of Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 17, 2015

2016 Grand Prize Winner

The Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan D.C., in partnership with the Japan-America Society of Washington D.C., is delighted to announce Heike Stehr of Germany as the grand prize winner of its first Annual Haiku Contest. Held from September 21st through November 21st, the autumn-themed contest attracted 590 haiku submissions from participants living in more than 30 countries.

Stehr's poignant autumn-themed haiku was selected by an esteemed panel of three internationally-recognized, prizewinning poets whose ties to the international haiku community helped the contest go viral: Roberta Beary, Abigail Friedman, and Jim Kacian.

As the grand prize winner, Stehr will receive a certificate from the Embassy of Japan recognizing her efforts and a special Japanese cultural item. Second place prize, paul m., and third place winner, Mark E. Brager, will also receive prizes in appreciation of their dedication to Japanese poetry. Honorable mentions include haikus by John Michael G. Londres, Himanshu Vyas, Malintha Perera, Debbie Strange, Rita Odeh, and Holli Rainwater.

This annual haiku contest was established as a way for English-speaking poets to express themselves through haiku. The results, beyond being captivatingly beautiful, demonstrated a true flowering of this traditional Japanese art form as it is interpreted by many different cultures. The winning selections may be viewed on the JICC website at http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/events/haiku-contest2015.html.

The Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan, D.C., is an essential outlet for fulfilling the Government of Japan's foreign mission to strengthen the Japan-U.S. relationship through public diplomacy. The center strives to promote Japan and Japanese culture through a diverse range of traditional and modern Japanese events and Japan educational services. It is conveniently located at 1150 18th St NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036.

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