Competition: Send us your travel haikus

What destinations fire up the poet in you?

EdwardDerule / Thinkstock

Does poetry flow from your pen? Do you ponder perfect prose? Or fancy yourself as a budding bard? Then show us what you’re made of by entering our latest competition, which calls upon aspiring authors to send in their travel haikus.

A traditional form of storytelling in Japan, a haiku is a short poem made up of 17 syllables (five in the first line, seven in the second and another five in the third) and has been adopted by Western writers like Jack Kerouac and Richard Wright, who, typically, broke all the rules.

As any writer worth their salt will tell you, a scribe must master the rules before they can break them, so if you’re planning to go maverick like Kerouac and Wright it better be good.

What’s in it for the winners, then? Only signed copies of this year's best travel books. Pictured below, these tomes have been shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award 2015, the winner of which will be announced on 28 September 2015.

The authors behind what we deem to be the six best haikus will each be sent one of the books, which come courtesy of Stanfords. Their prose will also be published on World Travel Guide, which, frankly, is a prize in itself.

If you need a bit of inspiration, cast your eager eyes over the haikus below, which have been penned by some of the greatest writers on the planet… and Jack Kerouac. Remember, these haikus must be inspired by your own wanderings.

The closing date for the competition is 13 September 2015 (midnight). See below for our terms and conditions, and click here to read about the great travel literature that's up for grabs. 

Mumbai street food stalls
An uncomfortable rumble
Oh god, it's coming
Jack Palfrey

Weary traveller
Alights in Hanoi darkness
Thirteen hours late
Dan Fahey

Three days on a train
The vodka never runs dry
Alight here for help
Gavin Haines

A dog on his own
Abandoned on an island
Found him a new home
Coralie Modschiedler

Men and women
Yakking beneath
The eternal void
Jack Kerouac

Terms and conditions:
1. All entries must be submitted to us via email (competitions@columbustravelmedia.com), Twitter (@WTGTravelGuide) or Facebook (/WTGTravelGuide).
2. Entrants must include an original haiku poem inspired by their travels and tag @estravelawards into the Tweet. Also include the hastag #StanfordDoloman if there's room.
3. Entries received later than midnight GMT on 13 September 2015 will not be included.
4. All haikus submitted must be the work of the individual, and they must own the copyright for it.
5. Competition open to amateur writers only.
6. Copyright will remain with the entrant, but each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive licence to Columbus Travel Media to feature any or all of the submitted haikus on their websites.
7. The winning entries will be chosen by Columbus Travel Media. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
8. Columbus Travel Media assume no responsibility (and are not liable) for any copyright infringement by third parties.
9. The prizes as described are available on the date of publication. All prizes are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives.
10. Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of Columbus Travel Media, so Columbus Travel Media may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the competition and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to Columbus Travel Media as a result thereof.
11. These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and any dispute in relation to them shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. 

This competition is now closed. To find out who won, head to this page.