Play it Strange is a NZ organisation which encourages young songwriters to write, record and perform their own songs.

Enter the competition by submitting your details, a recording of your song and the lyric sheet. The recording and performance quality of the entry is not taken into account in the judging process.

This year's competition will be judged by a panel of judges. All finalists will have their song recorded in a professional recording studio and go on to the 2025 Junior Songwriting Competition digital album. The winner will receive a 1:1 mentor session with one of our competition judges and a $500 Rockshop gift card.

• Who? Aspiring songwriters Years 9 - 11.

• When? Submissions are open now and close 30 April 2025.

• Where? NZ, nationwide.

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Grants of up to $1,000 are available to young people for hosting Youth Week events.

This is a great opportunity for young people to demonstrate & grow their skills in leadership, initiative and event-planning. Would look incredible on a tertiary application.

Youth week have funded a wide range of events in their time. Events can be anything from hosting an online hui with a group that feel isolated in their region and sending kai to their houses, it can be running a volleyball tournament at the local park, flight stimulation experiences, free swimming classes, movie nights, art installments, bbq hangs, learning about the moana and its stories followed by diving and fishing, market place, comedy nights, to all sorts.

• Who? Students Years 9 - 13

• Where? Grant-funded events can take place anywhere (can be the student's school, library, swimming pool, park, online, or other community area).

• When? Grant applications are open now and close 16 March 2025. Youth Week takes place 19 - 25 May 2025.

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The New Zealand Secondary Schools Case Competition is a team-based business case solving challenge. The competition is designed to test and grow students' creativity and problem-solving skills.

The competition is split into two rounds. In the pool round, teams are given a business case and have a week to record a presentation and submit it to industry professionals for feedback.

In the second round, successful teams will present their team's case live to a panel of judges, either online or in-person at Massey Business School.

There are prizes for the winning teams, both cash and in-kind.

Registrations are open now.

• Who? Groups of Years 10 - 13 students (groups of 4 preferred).

• When? Takes place July (date TBC)

• Where? Online or in-person at Massey Business School.

  
  

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The Day One Film Challenge is about giving young people a shot at filmmaking. There are multiple categories and genres, including awards for age brackets (Under 11, Under 14, Under 18).

It's more than just a film competition: it's a creative support system from Day One NZ, and a great chance for students of all skill levels to flex their creative muscles.

• Who? Any students with an interest in filmmaking.

• When?

  • Round 1 Submission date: 17 March, 12pm

  • Round 2 Submission date: 28 July, 12pm

  • Awards: November [TBC].

• Where? NZ nationwide.

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Kids Lit quiz is an annual literature competition for students under 14. The competition is global, but was founded and born in NZ.

The Canterbury regional heat takes place in April. The winning teams participate in Nationals, and the winning team from there goes on to the Global final.

Teams of four students work together to answer questions on children's literature, which vary from year-to-year. This would suit a student who has done a fair bit of reading, but by no means do students need to be literature experts to compete. The vibe is competitive but fun.

To enter a team for the Canterbury Heat, contact Emma Price: ladyreganofcornwall@gmail.com.

Who? Years 6 - 9 students (must be under 14 years old, as at 1 July) with an interest in young persons' literature.

When? The Canterbury Heat is being held on 1 April 2025, nationals in June and the World Final in July.

Where? Turanga Central Library.

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The NZCT Chamber Music Contest is the largest and longest running chamber music event of its kind in the country and each year provides the opportunity for thousands of secondary school students to perform together and enjoy the thrill of making music. Groups of 3 - 8 students can enter either the Instrumental Performance category, or the Original Composition category, or both.

The contest is made up of three parts, starting with the District Rounds happening across 14 centres throughout the country, progressing through to the three Regional Finals from which eight ensembles are then chosen to proceed to the National Finals.

• Who? Groups of students from Years 7 - 13.

• Where? Christchurch (District and Regional Rounds) and Auckland (Final).

• When? Registrations are open now and close 4 April 2025.

  • Canterbury district rounds take place 26-28 May 2025.

  • Regional rounds take place 14 June 2025.

  • National Finals take place 2 August 2025.

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YES began in 1983 and has helped thousands of school students unleash their inner entrepreneur and experience the start-up world first-hand. It is an experiential programme where students set up and run a real business. Each YES company creates their own product or service and brings this to market. YES takes place over the entire school year in 4 stages: Validation, Pitch, Sales & Promotion, and the Annual Review.

It is a fun and thoroughly rewarding programme, with nationally recognised credibility. Alumni of YES include the founders of Xero, Sharesies, Charlie's, Pledgeme, Burger Burger and many others.

All students who complete YES will receive the YES NZQA micro-credential. Also - it's a big green tick on tertiary scholarship applications for extra-curricular involvement.

Most students do YES as a timetabled subject or extra-curricular through their school. However, if your school does not offer YES, or if you want to participate in YES outside of the school setting, you can still participate!

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A four-day flagship conference taking place in Auckland, but also including seven regional hui across the country.

Participants aged 13-18 (Years 9-13) from all over Aotearoa come together to write a policy document called the Youth Declaration. During the conference, participants collaborate in targeted Rōpū (committee groups) to create policy solutions on a broad range of issues — from climate change to the cost of living and more. This Youth Declaration is passed on to decision-makers, including MPs, local councils, boards, and other influential stakeholders, to help shape the future of Aotearoa.

• Who? High school students.

• Where? The four-day conference takes place in Auckland. Students can also participate in regional hui (including Canterbury).

• When? Registrations are open now and close 14 March 2025. The conference takes place from 13th - 16th April 2025.

There is a registration cost of $205, however, scholarships are available to fund the registration fee. Participants are expected to fund their own travel/accommodation arrangements.

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