Read Our 2025 Humanist Haiku Contest Winners
Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash TheHumanist.com is pleased to announce the winners of our sixth annual Haiku Contest, once again held to honor National Poetry Month in April.
The contest requested submissions of short poems related to humanism and expressing humanist values. Submissions were required to be in the form of a haiku, a seemingly simple form of poetry in three lines: five syllables on line one, seven syllables on line two, and five syllables on line three.
We received over one-hundred entries, and our judges chose ten of their favorites. A huge thank you to all of the poets who submitted their haiku. And another big thank you to our panel of judges: Peter Bjork, Nicole Carr, Becca Ray, Isabella Russian, Meredith Thompson, and Kristin Wintermute.
The below poems appear in alphabetical order by author name.
No gods, only us,
hands entwined, we forge meaning,
love is our beacon.
– Aiden Barnes
Single blades of grass
May cut straight through cinderblocks
So too we persist
– Johnny Byutorie
Mind shapes the world’s course,
Kindness mends what hate has torn,
We rise by our choice.
– Karl Frank
Seeds of hopefulness
Planted with each new kindness
Making a difference
– James Jarrett
There is nothing else
To bring order from chaos
For us besides us
– Scott Myers
Narrative unfurls,
Step forward, seize back or freeze?
We choose compassion.
– Elisa Rosoff
Faith Isn’t a Cure
Storms won’t stop for prayer.
Ice melts, yet some still kneel down.
Science shouts alone.
– Ralph Satija
Humanity begs
only for the right to seek
answers to questions
– R. L. Scifres
Humanist Haiku
Beautiful sunrise.
Birds sing, bees buzz, flowers bloom.
All without a god.
– Gary Sugar
Far too soon time ends
Far too late we realize
What truly matters
– Joseph Weilenbeck