Architectural Haiku Writing Contest, 4th Cycle: Architecture and Memories

While architecture is typically regarded as a permanent structure rooted in a specific geography, some of the most profound spaces we experience are carried within us as memories. A childhood home, a school corridor, a bustling street, or a courtyard left behind during migration are spaces that continue to travel with us across time and distance.

Memory is not limited to physical experience. Spaces encountered through fiction—such as a room from a novel, a house from a movie, or a city imagined through a story—can become vividly etched in our minds. The fourth cycle of the Architectural Haiku Writing Contest invites participants to explore the intersection of architecture and memory, capturing these spaces in exactly 17 syllables.

The theme for this cycle is curated by Preksha Udupa, an AJC+ Associate based in Rwanda, East Africa. The contest is open to university students, professionals, academics, researchers, and design enthusiasts worldwide.

Submission Guidelines

• The contest is open to international submissions, provided they are written in English.
• Entrants may submit a maximum of three haiku entries.
• Each haiku must be accompanied by an illustration or photograph (either original or used with proper credits and permissions).
• Haikus must adhere strictly to the traditional 17-syllable structure, following a 5–7–5 distribution across three lines.
• Submissions should be formatted in a Word document using 12 pt. Arial font with single-line spacing.
• The accompanying illustration or photograph must be attached separately with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
• Participants must include at least one social media handle (e.g., Instagram, X, Facebook) with their entry.
• Entries must be original works and will undergo plagiarism and AI-generated content screening.
• Submissions, along with a registration screenshot, should be emailed to the organizers with the designated subject format.

Participants can use online tools such as haikusyllablecounter.com or syllablecounter.net to verify their syllable structure, though manual validation is highly recommended before finalizing the submission.

Jury Panel

The panel of judges for this cycle features an international lineup of architects, authors, and researchers:

• Sabu Francis: Architect, researcher, and founder of Limen Leap Labs Private Limited, India.
• Dr. Merle Kindred: Author of architectural and adventure memoirs documenting experiences in India and Guyana.
• Kristiina Oelsner: Project Manager for International Short-Term Programmes at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany, and published author.
• Pappal Suneja: Ph.D. Scholar at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany.
• Parichita Mohapatra: Architect, Ph.D. researcher at IIT Guwahati, and Assistant Professor at JAIN University, Bengaluru, India.
• Sanan Verma: Architect-planner, assistant professor, poet, and author.

Timeline and Dates

• Registration Opens: July 1, 2026
• Early Bird Registration Deadline: August 16, 2026
• Standard Registration Closes: October 29, 2026
• Submission Deadline: October 30, 2026
• Winners Announcement: November 30, 2026

Registration Fees

Early Bird Registration:
Participants from India: INR 800
International Participants: EUR 10

Standard Registration:
Participants from India: INR 1,200
International Participants: EUR 15