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• AirQ Haiku

 

2007 AirQ Haiku Contest

This year's winners have been announced!
Click here to view the 2007 winning AirQ haikus.

Greater Kansas City's original summertime haiku contest is back for a second year!

Even a serious issue like good air quality can benefit from a little fun now and then. By popular demand, we've brought back the AirQ Haiku contest for its second annual run. This fun contest will get you thinking about air quality, ozone pollution and alternative transportation.

What is Haiku?

Haiku is a type of poetry that originated in Japan. In its contemporary form, it consists of three lines of verse -- the first line with five syllables, the second with seven and the third with five. For example:

car tailpipes exhale
the sun sears Kansas City
ozone fouls my air

To get more ideas, you can view our 2006 winners.

Eligibility

The contest is open to everyone who lives and works in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

How to Enter

Choose a category and start composing your own AirQ Haiku. We've made it easy for you to submit your entry online. You may submit up to one entry per week from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15, 2007.

Judging

Final judging will take place at the end of the contest period, and winners will be announced the week of October 15. This year's judges are:

• Jack Miles, Sun newspapers
• Don Munday, Kansas City Star
• Ed Peterson, Johnson County Commission/MARC Air Quality Forum Kansas co-chair
• Kathy Dusenbery, mayor of Parkville, Mo./MARC Air Quality Forum Missouri co-chair

Prizes

Prizes feature alternative modes of transportation and promote healthy air quality. These include:

• Three first-place winners will receive bicycles from River Market Cyclery. Use a bike for shorter trips. You won't produce any pollution, and you'll increase your fitness.
• Second-place winners will receive gift certificates for a sporting goods retailer. You can use this to buy a pair of walking shoes, some roller skates or a pogo stick!
• Picture Frame Magnets: The first 50 qualifying entries each week receive this fun reminder about how important it is to keep the air clean.

Warning: Writing haiku can be addictive. We cannot be responsible for those who find themselves compulsively counting lines and syllables and sending all future e-mail communications in haiku form.