In this article, I am going to discuss how to implement a Haiku contest for your community. We will be using the English Haiku style for this article in order to focus on creativity and engagement with your community. Enjoy!
What is a Haiku? (My Simple Terms)
A Haiku is a 17 Syllable poem focusing on a key subject. The poem can range from 1-5 lines. Use of imagery and emotion goes along way in building a good Haiku.
I am going to adhere to the 5,7,5 syllable criteria for the samples.
Example Haiku: (Syllables in Parenthesis)
FPS Themed:
Playing the Game, (5)
I shot the other player (7)
He is Dead! Teabagged! (5)
Fantasy Themed:
Entering the World, (5)
Accepted the quest, "Courage" (7)
I cross the Zone safely (5)
Warcraft Themed:
I smelled an Orc (5)
He stunk like bad rotten fish (7)
I told him to bathe (5)
Star Wars Themed:
I am a Jedi, (5)
I live to serve the Dark Side (7)
Vader is my Dad (5)
Twitter Themed:
As I tweet Hashtags. (5)
I talk to professionals (7)
I get Retweeted (5)
If I was creating an online contest using Haiku. I would offer a theme or screenshot. Then I would allow each member to submit from 1-5 different Haiku. I would have them submit them to a forum, facebook, or email so other members can see how fun they are.
I hope you have a better understanding of an English style Haiku. The above examples are a good benchmark for making a funny or relevant Haiku for your own themed contests. These poems are easy to make. Your community members should be able to make many submissions given the easy degree of difficulty for any contest.
Come up with your own Haiku and post it in comments. Use any topic but let us know what your topic is along with the Haiku.
Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Haiku-Poem if you want a good resource for Haiku.