“My Maui”

The Haiku Community Association (HCA) added a new event to the Haʻikū Hoʻolauleʻa and Flower Festival, a poetry contest. This year’s theme was “My Maui” for the 2021-2022 school year Submissions were open from September 1-29, 2021. The contest was an open event to all students living on Maui ranging from grades K-12. Students who attend public, private, and even homeschool students were invited to submit poems with the theme ‘What makes Maui home to them.’

It was HCA’s intention that this annual contest would inspire students to think creatively about their beautiful island home, while learning more about poetry. Reading and hearing each other’s poems would be a wonderful part of this. With the help of a grant from the Maui County Office of Economic Development, the HCA was still able to offer an outlet for creative thinking and community connections without being in person for our annual Haʻikū Ho’olaule’a and Flower Festival. The insights that the Maui keiki have about their island home, what it means to them, and how they connect to it will bring a fresh outlook to this place we all call home.

There were two categories to enter, “rhymed poems” or “free verse”. Grade Divisions were as follows: Kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, fifth through eighth grade, ninth through tenth grade and eleventh through twelfth grade. Prizes from local vendors will be awarded to winners and runners up from each division.

For more information about the contest, please call 808-385-3176 or visit haikumaui.org or haikuhoolaulea.org. You may also emails us [email protected] for questions or to submit any entries.