2026 Wisconsin Sijo Competition
Winners | Judges | Winners' Sijo
Winners
| Adult Division | Senior Division | Junior Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | No winner | Chloe Lietzau Dousman, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
No winner |
| Runners-up |
Jeremiah David La Crosse, WI sijo |
Anna Dentice Oconomowoc, WI (Terri Carnell) sijo |
Opal Slotty-Thomas Waukesha, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
| Genevieve Dwyer West Bend, WI sijo |
Sawyer Kiefer Waukesha, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
Griffin Basthemer Wales, WI (Tiffany Zeirke) sijo |
|
| Samuel Ruppert Delafield, WI (Elizabeth Jorgensen) sijo |
Elliot James Bice Wales, WI (Tiffany Zeirke) sijo |
( ) Teacher's name
Adult division
I first learned of the Wisconsin Sijo Competition from a writers' publishing newsletter and saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself by writing in a new form.
I wrote about a recent medical experience that I couldn't seem to move on from, a Kafkaesque conversation with the billing office of my local hospital. The sijo seemed to effortlessly accommodate my retelling of this experience, which reminded me--if I needed the reminder--to trust my instincts when a story or poem nags at me, to write it down as soon as possible, whatever form it takes.
I intend to add this piece to a growing collection of poetry, which will hopefully be fated for publication in book-form.
The poet Richard Hugo is a hero of mine--I hope to one day write a poem half as good as his "Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg."
I discovered Sejong Cultural Society and this competition a few years ago while browsing online for activities based on Korean culture.
Compared to other sijo I have written in the past, I wanted to make this sijo rhyme at the end. I had to learn how to keep the rhyme while staying true to what I wanted to say, as well as staying within the syllable limits. As a result, I had many drafts of this sijo, but this was ultimately the one I felt was the best!
In the future, I hope to learn more about Korean literary art forms and develop my Korean language skills so that I can read them with no translation.
My past language teachers are my heroes, since they have always inspired me to be more ambitious and to always do my best.
Senior division
Profile will be added later.
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I discovered this competition through my English teacher, Ms. Jorgensen.
In writing this sijo, I learned that poems don’t always have to make sense, and that sometimes words can be there with no explanation.
One of my goals for my future is to get into Marquette University for a Civil Law degree.
Someone whom I consider a hero to me is my dad. In my life, my dad has given me so many opportunities and helped me steer my life in the correct direction. He taught me heroes don’t always have to save the day, but can guide you through one.
I discovered this competition through my English teacher. We did a lot of poetry in April and one of the lessons we learned was on Sijo. Our English teacher taught us about Sijo and had us write our own, then she had us submit them to this competition.
I learned that it was pretty hard to get my ideas out while staying within the rules of Sijo. I had to change my wording and scrap ideas because they wouldn’t follow the rules, so I learned how to overcome these barriers and still share my ideas.
My future goals are to be able to find a job and be able to support myself. I haven’t figured out what I want to do for a job or what I really want to do with my life. So I'm hoping in the near future I will be able to figure it out and find the right path to go down.
I really look up to my parents and consider them my heroes. They have helped me become who I am today and still continue to support me even if it’s hard..
Junior division
Profile will be added later.
Profile will be added later.
Profile will be added later.