2025 Sejong Writing Competition
Sijo Winners
| Adult Division | Pre-college Division | |
|---|---|---|
| First Place | Bonnie Tudor Springfield, VA sijo |
Christine Xu Bridgewater, NJ (Erin Leigh) sijo |
| Second Place | Brooke Daly Orlando, FL sijo |
Filiz Fish Pasadena, CA (Laura Holmgren) sijo Sidney Sun Yorba Linda, CA (Sophia Trejo) sijo |
| Third Place |
Matt Skeen Arvada, CO sijo Keri Switzer Grimsby, ON (Canada) sijo |
Jenene Hall Belleville, NJ (Fred Daly) sijo |
| Honorable Mention* |
Brandelyn Oshiro Hilo, HI sijo David Jibson Ann Arbor, MI sijo Ash Lozano San Antonio, TX sijo Leah Tudor Springfield, VA sijo |
Mason Wang Darien, CT (M Park) sijo Zoe Mihalick Bridgewater, NJ (Erin Leigh) sijo Avery Sheen Laramie, WY (Nichol Bondurant) sijo |
*Honorable Mention
( ) Teacher's name
Adult division
My name is Bonnie Tudor. I first learned about this competition from my daughter, whose two years studying in South Korea sparked a deep and lasting love for Asian culture. Her passion soon became a shared journey for our family—we’ve even entered this sijo competition together before, and my husband was a prior winner! I was excited to take part again this year and share a piece of my heart through poetry.
While writing my sijo, I discovered that the most joyful memories often make the most heartfelt stories to tell. My poem is based on a real moment: the simple and sometimes surprising joy of picking up my daughter from daycare.
I aspire to be a loving, supportive mother—someone my daughter can look up to and be proud of. She is my greatest inspiration, and I’m amazed every day by her strength, her compassion, and the joy she brings into my life.
I discovered the Sejong Cultural Society’s sijo competition thanks to my friend and coworker. She and I are both Korean learners, and since she knew I enjoyed creative writing, she recommended this contest to me. I am so thankful she told me about this contest because it opened me to the world of sijo. While I had read some poetry in Korean before, I was unfamiliar with sijo and the beauty of its structure.
What I learned while writing sijo is that while the line and syllable count may seem restrictive at first, they actually inspire more creativity. I really had to think deeply about which words would fit best, in terms of sound, meaning, structure, and more. I used to be a very “big picture” writer who was devoted to plays and prose, but I really enjoyed exploring the intricate details of sijo.
My goal for the future is to continue developing my sijo writing skills not just in English, but also in Korean.
As for my heroes, I choose both of my grandmothers. Their special warmth, love, and resilience are traits I hope to emulate.
It is an honor to be recognized by the Sejong Cultural Society, I am happy you liked my Sijo! I work as an attorney in Denver, Colorado, where I run a legal aid clinic in the federal courthouse.
I enjoy spending time in the mountains and cooking for my three growing boys.
My heroes have always been writers, particularly adventurous ones, such as Henry de Monfreid, Sir Richard Burton, Hemmingway, and Hunter Thompson.
I have lived at various times in my life in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, so my goal is to someday live in Africa and Australia. Antarctica sounds very cold, so maybe a short visit would suffice.
My dear wife Goun introduced me to this competition. She is from Busan, South Korea, and has taught me so much since we married in 2009. This is the second year I have participated. As a very structural thinker, I appreciate the boundaries presented by the form. Having taken the time for closer study of the rules, I noticed a lot of places where last year’s entry fell short, so it is wonderful to receive some affirmation that my efforts have led to improvement.
South Korea has a special place in my heart. When I was young, I answered an ad in the newspaper that would connect Canadian and South Korean children as pen pals. Many years later, I got the chance to experience Korea by living there and teaching English.
Since coming back home to Canada, I have sought ways to stay connected to Korea’s beautiful culture, language, and literature. It was that exploration and research that led me to find the Sejong Cultural Society and to learn about the Sijo poetry form.
To my delight, in the years following my return to Canada, I started to notice Korean music, cinema, food, and culture become more and more popular in mainstream Western culture and around the world. While writing my sijo, I learned that this phenomenon had a name: “Hallyu” or the “Korean Wave”.
I was born and raised in South Korea, but am currently studying Biochemistry and Astrophysics in Hawaii!
I mostly draw or play the flute, so creative writing is a bit unfamiliar to me, but I do love reading. I heard about this competition from my Korean Literature professor, and I thought it would be fun to try. I learned a lot about the thought process behind the things I usually just study in class.
I find there is so much beauty in the way words can hold so much in their expression, and I admire writers whose works can elicit a deep emotional response. I love the feeling of getting lost in a story, and feeling so moved by the work that the world just stops as you process it. I hope to someday create something that has as much meaning and give others the same feelings I have as a reader.
I began reading and writing poetry seriously after retiring from a 35 year career in social work, most recently with a hospice agency. I am published in many online and print journals, though my favorite way of sharing my work is by publishing it myself and giving it away. I was a second place prize winner in last year’s Sijo competition, which I found while doing research after reading a Sijo poem online.
I am managing editor of 3rd Wednesday Magazine, an independent quarterly journal of poetry, fiction and visual arts. I am a coordinator of The Crazy Wisdom Poetry Circle which organizes poetry readings and workshops in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I serve on the board of the Poetry Society of Michigan. My author website is https://davidkjibson.com/
I have been studying and writing Sijo for about two years. It is the need for “compression” that most attracted me to Sijo and I have adapted many free verse poems into Sijo and, lately, into linked Sijo. I published a chapbook of my Sijo last year and I’m working on another of linked Sijo for poetry month.
I find that using the Sijo form for longer poems adds rhythm and musicality a piece, similar to what common meter does with it’s 14 syllable couplets.
That my poem was well received by the judges has affirms for me that I have gained some understanding of the Sijo form and philosophy. My roots are in the mid-west so my poetic heroes include Ted Kooser, Jim Harrison, James Wright and Philip Levine.
I stumbled upon the Sejong Writing Competition while looking for publications, and because I normally write prose, I was excited by the challenge of a different writing medium. I had not been familiar with the sijo poem before, but I was immediately drawn in by the rhythmic structure and found myself captivated by other poems of the same kind.
In crafting my own sijo, I learned not just about a type of art I had never before, but also about finding music within the mundane. I wrote about a weary guardian reading a bedtime story to a child—a task which can fall easily into the rhythm of the everyday, becoming lost in the bustle and buzz—but through the sijo I felt able to explore how those mundane rhythms could be experienced as poetic rhythms and how in changing the perspective, in slowing down, we can find a deeper sense within those seemingly mundane things.
My aspirations are to become a published novelist and I hope to carry all that I learned from the sijo with me on the journey. I consider all the wonderful teachers I have had over the years to be my heroes. Throughout the years of my education, I have had so many teachers who not only encouraged and educated me, but also made me feel seen. I hope that one day with my writing I can do the same for others.
I discovered this competition while searching for scholarship opportunities to help finance my 2-year-long study abroad program in South Korea.
While writing my sijo, I learned that the best poetry draws from real-life experience. I wrote down several different ideas during the planning stage, but I ultimately chose the one I did because it is a real and cherished memory from my childhood.
My dream is to travel the world and experience as many different cultures as I possibly can.
A person I consider my hero is my mom. She's truly my best friend and always supports me no matter what.
Pre-college division
My name is Christine Xu, and I’m currently a senior at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in Bridgewater, New Jersey. I enjoy playing the cello, reading, drawing, and cuddling my dog, Cheyenne.
I was introduced to this competition and the sijo poem by my English teacher, Ms. Leigh. As I began writing my sijo, I became increasingly intrigued by how the seemingly constraining 45 syllables could hold such vast creative potential. I was especially struck by how all of the sijo samples, from the traditional Korean to the contemporary English, were concise yet lyrical. I, too, wanted to craft a poem that could so vividly evoke a specific image or memory. Through the writing process, I learned to use punctuation, structure, and word choice with much greater intention.
For my sijo, I chose to focus on my personal hero, my mother. She has guided me through both my failures and successes, and spending time with her as she teaches me our family recipes is one of my favorite pastimes.
My goal for the future is to become a physician-scientist. Right now, I’m particularly fascinated by genomics and bioinformatics. Throughout college and beyond, I hope I'll continue growing as both a scientist and a writer!
I am currently a junior at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. Besides writing, I spend my free time reading, curating Spotify playlists, and watching YouTube video essays.
I was introduced to the sijo form by my creative writing teacher, Ms. Holmgren; she mentioned the competition in class and encouraged us to draft a poem for submission. I have never been one for concision, so I initially struggled to select a topic for my poem—a fully formed idea I could convey in only three lines. I soon learned, however, that the sijo’s constricted form requires each word, each syllable, to have intention and meaning.
I decided to write my poem in the style of a recipe, listing a series of steps in the first two lines and, in traditional sijo style, introducing a “twist” in the piece’s conclusion. In terms of my goals and aspirations, I plan to pursue creative writing in the future; I serve as the editor for an online literary magazine––a role I hope to maintain after I graduate high school––and aim to continue submitting my work to writing competitions and publications.
Though I could select a personal hero from the list of authors I admire, my mother has always championed my passion for writing. She has motivated me through rejections and wins, and I am thankful to have her support.
I am a sophomore at Fairmont Preparatory Academy in Anaheim, California. I was introduced to this competition by my 9th Grade English teacher, Mrs. Croft, and participated last year as well. Through writing sijo, I have not only developed and improved upon my writing skills, but have also had the opportunity to learn about this incredible traditional Korean poetry form and discover more about Korean culture. Additionally, I have learned to choose my words very wisely in order to convey meaning while also maintaining the specific structure of sijo.
In the future, I hope to continue to build on my writing abilities and inspire others through this art form. I aim to study biomedical science or chemistry in college, while also furthering my interest in creative writing.
My personal hero is my grandfather, who started a successful company from scratch in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States to provide a better future for his children and grandchildren. His actions have taught me perseverance, hard work, and most importantly, that nothing is impossible.
Hi! My name is Jenene. I am a senior in high school in New Jersey. I love God, volleyball, music, summer, and cherry blossoms.
I discovered this competition in my Korean Literature English Class. My teacher, Mr. Daly, encouraged my class to embrace the culture we were learning about by writing and partaking in this competition. Although I had never heard of sijo poems before, I have always liked writing poems so I put my best effort into this one. While writing my sijo, I was able to touch upon a lot of my feelings towards my life and family. I was happy to be able to put my thoughts down on paper. I learned how grateful I am for my unique upbringing. I would never change my family out for a different one.
In the future, I'm hoping to become a doctor of some kind. I really enjoy helping others and serving my community. I currently volunteer at a local hospital. I also love human biology!
I would consider my hero to be my grandmother. She is the hardest working and most resilient woman I know. She inspires me to continue striving for my best even in the face of adversity.
I discovered this competition when my teacher introduced it to us as an assignment for my English class. As somebody who has been writing for years including both poetry and prose, I jumped at the chance to get to be creative and potentially win something. While I typically write free verse poetry because of its similarity to prose, I was still interested in the constrained style of writing that sijo provides, and I wanted to challenge myself to tell the story I wanted in those short three lines.
In writing my sijo I got the chance to learn more about myself; my poem's story is a reflection on experiences I had in elementary school and the reality of how isolation can manifest itself as anger. I love using my writing as a chance to think more about the past, and also to explore the thoughts I have about things that have happened to me as I mature. I tried to make my sijo honest; I want it to feel as if myself and my emotions are what's sitting on the page.
I hope to take my creative passions far, as I would like to publish my novel in the next few years. As a saxophonist, I am planning to major in music education in college to become a school band director, being that I want to be able to spread creativity to the next generation just as those who came before me have.
My hero is my seventh grade band director, Mr. Murphy. He encouraged me to keep playing my instrument despite my reluctance and ultimately is the reason music is such a big part of my life today. Without that year he taught me, I wouldn't be in band at the moment, and I certainly wouldn't be wanting to go to college to be a music teacher myself. Though he retired and I haven't spoken to him since then, he's had a great influence on my life that I know I'll never forget.
