Send us your haiku.

Haiku Journal publishes English-language haiku in the strict 5 / 7 / 5 form. We feature both new and established poets. Every submission is read by hand.

Many excellent journals charge fees for online or offline submissions — we understand why. More than 70% of journals today do not pay anything at all. We try to stand in a different place: submissions are free, reading is free, and we pay a small token to every contributor.

1. 1
   Original and unpublished

   By submitting, you assert that your work is available to print and has not been previously printed elsewhere — not in print, not online, not on social media, not on your personal blog. You may exploit your haiku in any way you wish after publication, without contacting us.*

2. 2
   Your own creation

   You affirm the haiku is your own writing. No part of your submission is in the public domain. We do not accept AI-generated or AI-assisted work. Haiku Journal publishes human writers.

3. 3
   You must be 18 or older

   Poets must be at least eighteen years of age at the time of submission. By submitting, you confirm that you meet this age requirement.

4. 4
   Strict 5 / 7 / 5 syllables

   Haiku must follow the classical syllabic pattern: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Our submission form counts syllables for you and rejects anything outside the form.

5. 5
   Up to 3 haiku per issue

   Please submit each haiku as a separate entry. One token payment is allowed per issue.

6. 6
   Lines cannot exceed 40 characters

   Our books are printed in short lines, so please check each line's length before submitting.

7. 7
   The form accepts only your haiku

   The submission form accepts only the three lines of your haiku, in plain text. There is no field for a cover letter, a bio, an explanation, an attachment, or a note to the editor. We read only the poem itself.

8. 8
   Free online; paperbacks optional

   Every issue is free to read online. Paperback copies are an optional purchase through Prolific Press. We are not a university press and cannot afford to send contributors free copies — we support you by publishing your work and paying a small cash token.

9. 9
   We pay, modestly

   Published contributors receive a token cash payment shortly after paperback publication. Token payments are currently $1.50 for standard submissions and $10.00 for pieces marked Editor's Choice.

   Token payments are made by PayPal only, and only to the email address listed in your poet profile. Please make sure the email on your profile matches the email on your PayPal account — that is the single address where your token payment will be sent.

10. 10
    Withdraw any time before acceptance

    Simultaneous submissions are fine. You may withdraw any haiku automatically, at any time before acceptance, by logging into the submission manager.

    Once a haiku is accepted, it is immediately published here. There is no staging window — the moment the editor marks it accepted, it appears in the current online issue.