◆ THEME: Kyoto (English language submissions only)
◆ DEADLINE: March 31st, 2024 (23:59 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◆ GENRE: Short Shorts (unpublished material only)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. A clear connection to Kyoto is essential.

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 and submissions within the body of the email will not be accepted.
● At the top of the Microsoft Word attachment (not in the body of the email),
please include the following personal information: Full Name, E-mail Contact,
Nationality, Current Residence (Town, Country).
● Do not provide any special formatting to your piece. We request your personal
information at the top with the plain text directly below. Submissions in [Times New Roman, 12pt] are preferred.
● Please send your Microsoft Word attachment file to:  kyotowritingcompetition2024@gmail.com
● Submissions which do not have the author’s personal address at the top of the attachment file, are not submitted in MS Word format, or are submitted with special formatting will not be considered for judging.
● Submission in multiple competition years is welcome. However, eligibility for each prize is on a one-time basis only.

TOP PRIZES

Kyoto City Mayoral Prize
¥50,000 cash prize, The Nature of Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5), One-year complimentary WiK membership (April 2024-March 2025), a complimentary space in an upcoming Book Proposal Masterclass (valued at £679, or more than 120,000 JPY) by Beth Kempton (WiK Member and Author of books including Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life and The Way of the Fearless Writer), publication on the WiK website, and inclusion in a future WiK Anthology

Yamabuki* Prize (awarded to the national of a country in which English is an official language)
The Nature of Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5), publication on the WiK website, and inclusion in a future WiK Anthology

Unohana* Prize (awarded to the national of a country in which English is not an official language)
The Nature of Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5), publication on the WiK website, and inclusion in a future WiK Anthology

* Yamabuki (Japanese yellow rose) and Unohana (Deutzia) are flowers appearing in haiku.

OTHER PRIZES

Writers in Kyoto Member Prize
A book of the winner’s choice authored by another WiK member and publication on the WiK website

Japan Local Prize
A selected ceramic piece from the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery and publication on the WiK website

USA Prize
Uncrating the Japanese House (Junzo Yoshimura, Antonin and Noemi Raymond, and George Nakashima), a one-year complimentary membership to the Japan-America Society of Greater Philadelphia, and publication on the WiK website

PUBLISHING RIGHTS/COPYRIGHT

Writers in Kyoto reserve the right to publish entries on the group’s website. The top three winners will be eligible for publication in a future WiK Anthology. All authors retain the copyright of their own work.

SUPPORTERS

In addition to the aforementioned entities, the Writers in Kyoto Ninth Annual Writing Competition is supported by the Kyoto City Cultural Office, Kyoto City International Foundation (kokoka), and Kyoto Journal.

The WiK Competition logo was designed by Rebecca Otowa, author and illustrator of 100 Objects in My Japanese House (2023), At Home in Japan (Tuttle 2010), My Awesome Japan Adventure (2013), and The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper (2019).

PREVIOUS WINNERS

Winning entries from four previous competition years can be found here (2023), here (2022), here (2021), and here (2020).

STAY CONNECTED WITH WRITERS IN KYOTO

Please save our website link to your Favorites and follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@KyotoWriters), and Instagram (writersinkyoto). There is also a private Facebook group for paid-up members.

WiK ANTHOLOGIES

Writers in Kyoto anthologies available in Amazon marketplaces 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

Structures of Kyoto: WiK Anthology 4 (2021)
ed. Rebecca Otowa and Karen Lee Tawarayama

The Nature of Kyoto: WiK Anthology 5 (2023)
ed. Lisa Twaronite Sone and Robert Weis