If you dare, feast your eyes on this year’s winners of KFF Health News’ sixth annual Halloween Haiku contest. We received more than four dozen spooky submissions but only a few bubbled to the top of the cauldron. Here’s the winner and the top runners-up, illustrated by Oona Zenda. The judges’ favorites were inspired by blood shortages, high health care costs, and the eye-gouging price of prescription drugs. Keep an eye on KFF Health News’ social media accounts (X; Instagram; and Facebook) for more of our favorites. Enjoy!
1st Place
Vampires don’t scare me.
Empty blood shelves, now that’s fear.
Roll up, save a life.
— Crystal Decker
2nd Place
What spooks me the most
Is not a ghoul or a ghost
But steep health care bills.
— Sasha Zitter
3rd Place
No, not eye-gouging.
My costume is scarier:
Pharma price-gouging.
— Siri Palreddy
While Halloween may be coming to an end, KFF Health News reporting continues year-round. Send us your haikus at any time for possible inclusion in our Morning Briefing: https://kffhealthnews.org/contact-haiku/.
2023 Halloween Haiku Contest Winners
2022 Halloween Haiku Contest Winners
