2025 Haunted Haiku Contest

2025 Haunted Haiku Contest

We’re back from the dead! After skipping a year or two (honestly, time gets blurry when you’re haunting the internet), we’ve decided to resurrect our beloved Haunted Haiku Contest. We used to do these every Halloween season and they were absolutely legendary – writers would emerge from the shadows with the most deliciously dark verses that gave us chills for weeks.

This year we’re going full Halloween mode because frankly, the world needs more beautiful darkness right now. We want to inspire writers, bring together our twisted little community, and find all the like-minded horror freaks hiding in the comments section. This contest has always been about connecting with fellow lovers of the macabre, those who understand that there’s poetry in the shadows and beauty in things that go bump in the night.

So please, scare us. We absolutely love it. Show us what nightmares live in your imagination and craft them into those perfect little 17-syllable packages of terror. We’ll be sharing the most bone-chilling haikus across our social networks, so get ready for your words to haunt the internet and maybe even give someone delightful goosebumps.

The Prizes:

• Bragging rights
• The terrifying treat of scaring your friends
• Being awarded the Master Writer Award from Every Writer

The Rules:

• Traditional 5-7-5 syllable form
• Must be horror-themed – scary, eerie, unsettling, monstrous
• We want chills, not gross-out factor (gory is fine, graphic is not)
• Optional titles are welcome
• Deadline: October 30, 2025
• Leave your haiku in the comments below
• Enter as many times as you want, one haiku per comment

Example:

Midnight Visitor

Scratching at my door
The sound of rotting fingernails
I live on floor twelve

Drop your most haunting haiku in the comments and let’s see who can craft the most spine-tingling verses this Halloween season. The darker and more atmospheric, the better!

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Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) is the founder of EveryWriter and a 25-year veteran of the publishing industry. With degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology, and Education, Richard has dedicated two decades to teaching writing and literature while championing emerging voices through EveryWriter's platform. His work focuses on making literary analysis accessible to readers at all levels while preserving the rich heritage of American literature. Connect with Richard on Twitter  Bluesky Facebook or explore opportunities to share your own work on ourSubmissions page. For monthly insights on writing and publishing, subscribe to our Newsletter.

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