Annual Tanka Contest 2016

Welcome to the Annual Tanka Contest 2016 at Mandy's Pages. Tanka is a poetic genre that has its origins in Japanese poery. It is made up of five lines and has a unique poetic style that is short and lyrical, making it a 'little song'.

We have an excellent judge presiding over this contest, who is remarkable for her contributions to tanka as a poets and editor.

Contest Details

Contest Duration: June 01, 2016 to June 30, 2016

Entry: First submission FREE. Subsequent tanka submissions by participant at an entry fee of USD 2.00 each.

Submission: One to many tanka as per entry fee criteria.

Entry fee payment by Paypal only, sent in to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Theme: Open Theme. You may submit tanka of your choice that have not been published before. No plagiarism allowed.

Content: Original tanka written specifically for this contest with no prior submissions or publications elsewhere either in print or online, which includes public posts on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

(Please Note: Mandy's Pages is a family-friendly site. Therefore content should not be overly adult, profane, explicit, abusive, or sexual in nature.)

Additional Reading: Contestants are encouraged to read 'Enriching Your Tanka-Writing Experience: It's All About Quality' before you submit your tanka. (Click the title here or check link within the right side panel of screen)

Tanka Judge: Christine Villa

Announcement of Winners: Judging will take place for a period of two to four weeks after the close of the contest. This duration is based on the amount of tanka we receive during the submission period.

Submission Procedure: (Copy and Paste into email)

Addressed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Subject: ATC 2016 tanka entry (your name)

(Body of the email)

Name:

Place / Country:

Tanka Entry

Number of tanka submissions:

Prizes

First Prize : USD 100.00 + Books + Certificate

Second Prize: USD 50 + Certificate

Third Prize: Certificate

(Cash Prizes sponsored by Mandy's Pages)

Poet Pamela A. Babusci awards the first prize winner a copy each of Moonbathing #13 and A Solitary Woman.

Blue Butterfly Bags sponsors a personalized tanka bag for the first prize winner.

About the Judge

Christine L. Villa is a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration graduate of Maryknoll College in Manila, Philippines. She was a dedicated Math tutor for many years until she migrated to Sacramento, California and discovered her two great passions – writing children’s stories and Japanese short-form poetry. Aside from being a published children’s writer, she is also an award-winning haiku and tanka poet. Her work has been published in various international journals and anthologies such as Ribbons, A Hundred Gourds, Frogpond, Presence, Skylark, Moonbathing, Prune Juice, red lights, Cattails, Sonic Boom, and Hedgerow. Soon to be released this year is her book entitled The Bluebird’s Cry, a collection of Japanese short-form poetry about her journey through grief and loss. Between haiku and tanka, the latter has been instrumental in her healing and self-discovery. To read her poetry, please visit her blog, Blossom Rain (blossomrain.blogspot.com). She is also the founder and editor of Frameless Sky (framelesssky.weebly.com), a bi-annual poetry video journal showcasing haiku and tanka poets, visual artists, and musicians. If she is not busy writing, you can find her taking photographs, doing crafts, or playing the ukulele.