Tanka Time 2014: Announcement of Winners
Tanka Time #1 (2014) has finally concluded, and this means it is time to announce the winners. This has been, what we hope may continue, the first round of the Tanka Time series; otherwise known as the informal and friendly tanka challenge between poets here at Mandy’s Pages. Tanka poet Susan Burch proposed this idea to me a couple of months ago, and I give her full credit for handling the emails, organizing the judging procedure with the contestants and computing the results.
Before we announce the winners, here is a recap of how we organized Tanka Time # 1. We invited contestants to send in a single tanka each during the entire month of March. The theme for the contest was ironically titled ‘March’. After the entry submission period, we sent a list of all the entries to the contestants and they had to vote for their favorite tanka. At the end of the eight-day judging phase, Susan tallied all the scores together and I do believe the contestants have spoken!
During the week that followed the judging of all the tanka, we worked on personalizing the certificates and have a surprise for each of the winners.
The 1st Prize for Tanka Time #1 (2014) goes to Kathy Uyen Nguyen with a total of 17 points. Congratulations Kathy! You are the deserving winner of Tanka Time #1. In addition to a Certificate of Excellence, we would also like to reward you with 15 personalized bookmarks.
every March
I tuck my guilt in the blooms
of the redbud tree--
its sweetness outweighs the cost
of leaving you
Kathy Uyen Nguyen
The second prize goes to Josie Hibbing with 16 points. Wonderful work on your tanka, Josie! You win 10 personalized bookmarks along with a Certificate of Merit.
up its hill
a burdened ant staggers
in the breeze...
I am weighed down
by this empty heart
Josie Hibbing
The third prize goes to Shloka Shanka with a score of 15 points. Shloka, you win 5 personalized bookmarks along with your Certificate of Merit.
early March
smells of nostalgia
yet again
my heart grows fonder
for what never was
Shloka Shankar
As you can see, this has been a close and exciting round. We had a total of 18 contestants. Susan and I would like to thank you all for contesting and making this a truly amazing experience for us. You helped share in our tanka excitement. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the contestants for your wonderful sporting spirit. We hope to see you at the next round of Tanka Time.
A Personal Request
If you have enjoyed this challenge or would like to suggest ways we may improve Tanka Time, please take a moment to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments thread below. Also, share in the winners’ excitement by sending in some love, felicitating them on their success. I am sure they will be thrilled.
Stay Tuned for the Annual Tanka Contest at Mandy's Pages
Mandy’s Pages will be organizing the Annual Tanka Contest in June. Those who have missed out on last year’s contest may find details at the Inaugural Tanka Contest link. As with last year, we have excellent judges to preside over this contest and cash prizes to award worthy contestants. Do check back frequently for more details.
This Annual Tanka Contest is supported by contributions and sponsorship from contestants and readers alike. These contributions may be in the form of cash, books (any genre) or a fully-paid membership subscriptions to journals or magazines (for the term of your choice). I request your continued support this year too and thank you in advance for this kind consideration. Please note, those who sponsor the contest will automatically earn permanent advertising space at the contest pages for your organization, book(s) or webpages. I urge you to take that step towards supporting Mandy’s Pages and in turn supporting the spirit of tanka. I will be personally grateful to you for your support. For more details, you may contact me at my email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
