THE GREAT KIWI WRITE OFF 2025

The GREAT KIWI WRITE OFF 2025 starts now!

See the details of how to enter below.

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LET’S GET WRITING!

The first entry submission closes on 30th May 2025.

How to enter

Entry Fee & Payment Instructions

➤ $6 for students (under 18) and $12 for adults (18 and over).
➤ Payment is accepted via PayPal only.
➤ Click the button below to make your payment.
➤ Be sure to include your name and email address as the payment reference.

Visual Prompts

Year 4 (300 words) Judge: Craig Smith. Author The Wonky Donkey and many other children’s stories.

1. You are too early for the school bus or too late. What do you do? 
2. This is magic time. What happens in that hour when the clocks go back? Or when they go forward. Write about an imaginary world that comes to life in the hour when clocks go back or forward.
3. Tell us why daylight saving is fun or not fun. (Persuasive or a report)
4. Any topic of your choice.

Year 5-6 (350-400 words) Judge: Michèle A’Court ONZM. Writer, International stand-up comedian, public speaker, television presenter. 

1. Friends are meeting to go into a spooky house. But daylight-saving catches them out and it goes dark. What happens?
2. Imagine you are a rooster, and you get your crowing time all wrong. What do all the other farm animals do?
3. Tell us why daylight saving is fun or not fun. (Persuasive or report)
4. Topic of your own choice.

Year 7-8 (500-600 words) Judge: Tessa Duder, CNZM OBE. Award winning author of novels, non-fiction biographies and playwright including  YA and adult novels.

1. Imagine you are a cow waiting to go to the shed for milking but the farmer is too early or too late. If not a cow, then any animal that is expecting to be fed or go somewhere. What do you do? Or tell us about the farmer who gets all the timing wrong.
2. Imagine you are an astronaut waiting to launch and everyone has forgotten its daylight saving. All the technology timing is geared for one time and the space operators for another. What happens? Or a similar scenario.
3. Write about the advantages and disadvantages of daylight saving. (persuasive or report)
4. Topic of your own choice.

Year 9-10 (700-800 words) Judge: Bronwyn Elsmore. Fiction and non-fiction writer/playwright. Supporter of NZ writers by organising reviews of new books by NZ writers.

1. A group of friends are meeting somewhere but one does not turn up because he or she is lost in the hour the clocks go forward or back. How do they save him or her from the lost hour?
2.  Beach Party. Everyone is there but some are zombies because they were caught in the hour when clocks are turned back or forward and were caught by the zombie making King or Queen.
3. Write about why daylight saving is a good or bad thing. (Recount, persuasive or report).
4. Topic of your own choice.

Year 11-13 (900-1000 words) Judge: Stephanie Cox. Author of fiction and non-fiction. Blogger, businesswoman and mentor.

1. It is important that your protagonist is selected for the school’s big sports team. Selection is at a certain time but your protagonist gets caught by daylight saving and arrives late. What does he or she do? Is there an antagonist who has deliberately misled the protagonist about the time knowing that selection is happening at daylight saving time?
2. Your hero is at a tournament. The prize is free trip to hear their favourite band. They have to complete three challenges and they all take place in the space when the clocks go forward or back. How does your hero navigate this in between world?
3. Write a persuasive essay as to why daylight saving is a good or bad thing.
4. Write on the topic of your choice.

Prizes

Competition 2024

to see details of this year’s competition.

THE RESULTS ARE OUT!

Thank you to all the schools and individuals that supported THE GREAT KIWI WRITE OFF.?

We received nearly 400 entries. These came from schools around the country and also from independent individuals.
While almost all competitions talk about the challenge judges face in deciding placegetters we can sincerely say that every judge commented on the difficulty they had to make their final selection and that there was little separating each entrant.

Thank you everyone for entering. Without you there would be no competition and we wish everyone writing success.

We will post the judges reports over the next few weeks along with the winning stories.

Congratulations to everyone and thank you for supporting THE GREAT KIWI WRITE OFF!

to see the results.

Teachers Share Their Thoughts on The Great Kiwi Write Off

to check the latest update

Previous Student Writing Competitions

to see the previous student writing competitons