MAY THE WORDS BE YUM

Downtown Little Rock in Three Lines.

What does Downtown Little Rock taste like to you? Maybe it’s your go-to order at a favorite downtown restaurant, the smell of something delicious coming from a food truck, or the impossible decision of what to try next at the Downtown Food Truck Festival.

Downtown Little Rock Partnership is inviting you to capture the people, places, flavors and experiences that make up Downtown Little Rock’s food scene—all in just three lines.

How It Works

Submit an original haiku inspired by the Downtown Little Rock food scene for a chance to have your words displayed throughout Downtown as part of a temporary public art installation!

Prizes

Grand Prize — $100
Gift certificate to a downtown restaurant of your choice

Runner-Up — $50
Gift certificate to a downtown restaurant of your choice

Third Place — $25
Gift certificate to a downtown restaurant of your choice

PROMPTS:

Describe a Downtown Little Rock restaurant buzzing with hungry people. What do they look like? What do they say? What do they eat?
Describe ordering your meal from a food truck in Downtown Little Rock. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?
Describe the difficult task of choosing what to eat at the Downtown Food Truck Festival.
Describe a dish that you think represents the Downtown Little Rock food scene. What does it taste like? Where do you go to get it?

Step 1 of 2

& of in

Name

First

Last

Phone

Instagram Username

Facebook Username

Select one of the following prompts:

Describe a Downtown Little Rock restaurant buzzing with hungry people. What do they look like? What do they say? What do they eat?
Describe ordering your meal from a food truck in Downtown Little Rock. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?
Describe a dish that you think represents the Downtown Little Rock food scene. What does it taste like? Where do you go to get it?

Haiku Submission

Answer using the prompt you selected above.

Permission to Publish & Display

I have read and agree to the permission statement below.

By selecting “I Agree,” I give Downtown Little Rock Partnership permission to reproduce, print, publish, and publicly display the haiku I submit, along with my name, for purposes related to the Downtown Little Rock Partnership Haiku Contest and its promotion. This may include physical displays in Downtown Little Rock, Downtown Little Rock Partnership’s website, social media, newsletters, promotional materials, and other communications related to the program.

Favorite Restaurant in Downtown Little Rock

Have Questions?

Everything you need to know before submitting your haiku.

What is a haiku?

Haiku originated in 13th-century Japan as the hokku, a 5-7-5 syllable phrase used to start the back-and-forth spoken word game called renga. By the 17th century, poets began writing these introductory verses as standalone poems, which were eventually known as a "haiku."

For example:
Thank you for writing (5 syllables)
And thinking about Downtown. (7 syllables)
We love Little Rock! (5 syllables)

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help write my haiku?

Please refrain from using AI to write your haiku. We want to see your perspective, and how you feel about downtown Little Rock! If an entry is found to have used AI, that entry will be disqualified.

Who decides the winners?

Entries will be reviewed by the Public Spaces Committee. Judges may disqualify any entry that has been previously published, won past awards or competitions, was created using AI, or does not meet the criteria for a true haiku.