• THEME: Kyoto (English language submissions only)
  • DEADLINE: March 31st, 2021 (Midnight JST)
  • GENRE: Short Shorts (unpublished material only)
  • WORD LIMIT: 300 Words (to fit on a single page)
  • FORM: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in a fresh light.

Submission Requirements

  • Limited to one submission per person
  • You do not need to be located in Kyoto to participate. We accept submissions from anywhere in the world.
  • Must be submitted by Microsoft Word attachment file. (Submissions by PDF attachment will NOT be accepted.)
  • At the top of the Microsoft Word attachment (not in the body of the e-mail), please include the following: Full Name, E-mail Contact, Nationality, Current Residence (Town, Country).
  • Do not provide any special formatting to your piece. We request your information at the top with the text directly below.
  • Please send your Microsoft Word attachment file to: kyotowritingcompetition2021@gmail.com

Top Prizes

First Prize: ¥30,000, Kyoto Prize (To Be Decided), One-year complimentary WiK membership (April 2021 – March 2022), publication on the Writers in Kyoto website, and inclusion in the WiK Anthology

Second and Third Prize: Kyoto Prize (To Be Decided), Zen Gardens and Temples of Kyoto by John Dougill and John Einarsen, publication on the Writers in Kyoto website, and inclusion in the WiK Anthology

Publishing Rights/Copyright

Writers in Kyoto reserve the right to publish entries on the group’s website. Winning entries will be eligible for publication in the WiK Anthology. Authors retain the copyright of their own work.

Local Prizes

Japan Local Prize: A selected ceramic piece from the Robert Yellin Yakimoto Gallery 

USA Prize: Phila-Nipponica: An Historic Guide to Philadelphia & Japan and one-year complimentary Japan-America Society of Greater Philadelphia membership

Kyoto prizes are generously provided by the Kyoto City Tourism Association.  Phila-Nipponica: An Historic Guide to Philadelphia & Japan is awarded by the Japan-America Society of Greater Philadelphia. This competition is also supported by Kyoto Journal and Kyoto International Community House.

The WiK Competition logo was designed by Rebecca Otowa, author of The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper, At Home in Japan, and My Awesome Japan Adventure.

For More Information about Writers in Kyoto 

  • Writers in Kyoto website: https://writersinkyoto.com/
  • Writers in Kyoto anthologies available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions:

Echoes: WiK Anthology 2 (2017) ed. John Dougill, Amy Chavez and Mark Richardson

Encounters with Kyoto: WiK Anthology 3 (2019) ed. Jann Williams and Ian Josh Yates