2023 Sijo Poetry Contest: How to Submit a $1000 Poem
Practical Tips for Writing and Winning
Questions
What is a sijo? Why should I write one? How is it structured? What makes for a winning poem?
Answers
With the increasing popularity of sijo (a Korean poetry form), the Sejong Cultural Society announced its 2023 Sijo Poetry Competition. There is no entry fee and the top prize is $1,000, second place $750, and third $500. That’s about $21 per syllable for first place. A pre-college division pays $500-$400-$300. The competition is open to poets and writers in the United States and Canada. The deadline is March 31, 2023.
My daughter, Elizabeth Jorgensen, is an author and sijo expert, speaking around the country about sijo and how to teach it. When Elizabeth and Dr. Lucy Park (director of the Sejong Cultural Society) wrote their 2022 book, Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form, they asked me for copy edits. In reading the book multiple times, I was charmed by sijo’s combination of simplicity and sophistication. I also learned details of sijo history and sijo form.
Also, Dr. Lucy Park fascinated me with her commitment to this poetic form and her dedication to promoting Korean culture through poetry and literature. Her efforts benefit not only Korean culture but also writers around the world, with the Sejong Cultural Society’s fee-free competitions paying out large prize money.
The basics of sijo form
To help boost this poetic form’s profile and simultaneously benefit poets, I put together the tutorial below.
● A sijo should tell a story. The first line introduces the story. The second line expands on that idea. At the beginning of the third line, there is a twist or surprise. The end of the third line creates a resolution.
● The three lines are divided into syllable groupings. The syllable count may be flexible, but the final poem should total 44–46 syllables.
Line one: 3–4–4–4 (introduction)
Line two: 3–4–4–4 (development)
Line three: 3–5–4–3 (twist and conclusion)
● Topics are varied, from nature to historical events, to contemporary humor.
● Sijo poems have a musical quality.
● The three-syllable twist at the beginning of the third line distinguishes this poetry form. The twist may surprise the reader or make the story go in an unexpected direction. It may be subtle or dramatic.
● Some experts advise against using conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs.
Examples
Examples of this short poetic form reveal its power. My own poem won second place in the 2021 Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles Sijo Contest:
Lesson in Independence
My grandson says, “No, let me! I can do it by myself.”
He twists and turns the faucet, water gushes out in great spurts.
Face dripping, he calls out to me, “Grandma, turn the water off!”
More winning poems from the Sejong Cultural Society contests may be found here.
Judging
In 2022, I interviewed a sijo expert and frequent contest judge. On what he looks for in a winning poem, he said,
Structure and content. Simply. Wrong structure? — out the window. Right structure? — what is it saying? And is it saying what it’s saying in an insightful and engaging way? Is there emotion? Sad, happy, crying, laughing — it’s got to have some emotional appeal.
The full interview can be found here:
Where to submit
Completed poems may be submitted to the competition before March 31, 2023.
Final pitch
It is unusual to find a high-paying poetry contest with no entry fee. Why does this submission opportunity exist? The answer is in Dr. Lucy Park’s dedication to the sijo form and The Sejong Cultural Society’s mission to advance awareness and understanding of Korea’s cultural heritage. As Park says,
“The sijo has proven itself to be not only an interesting form of poetry but also a window into an often-overlooked culture.”
