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QWF Writing Competition 2025 (Online)

Dates: Wed, 1 October 2025 - Fri, 10 October 2025

  • QWF Writing Competition 2025 (Online)

The Queenstown Writers Festival Writing Competition - Tamariki & Rangatahi

The Tamariki (Years 1-8) and Rangatahi (Years 9-13) writing competition closes on Friday 10 October at 5pm. This year’s judge is Rachael King. Entry is FREE, and you can submit your submission through email.

Prizes

Tamariki (Years 1 – 8): Winner receives a cash prize of $150 and a $50 book voucher.Four highly commended pieces receive a $50 book voucher.
Rangatahi (Years 9 – 13): Winner receives a cash prize of $200 and a $100 book voucher.Second place receives a cash prize of $100 and a $50 book voucher.Third place receives a $50 book voucher.

Writing Prompts

Writing prompts for the Tamariki and Rangatahi Category will be released at 9am on Monday 1st September here and on our social media accounts. Entries are due by 5pm on Friday October 10th.

Tamariki (Years 1 – 8) 

The three writing prompts for the Tamariki category are:
1. You are standing in front of two doors. One has the best thing in the world behind it; one has the worst thing in the world. Choose one, and write what happens next.
2. Write about a nursery rhyme or fairy tale character turning up at your school in real life. What would happen?
3. What do you love doing most in the world? What if something or someone stopped you from doing it? How would you get around it? Example: I love playing netball. A meteor obliterates the netball court (or something more mundane is good too!). We have to find somewhere else to play.

Rangatahi (Years 9 – 13) 

The four writing prompts for the Rangatahi category are:
1. What if you woke one day and everyone else stayed asleep?
2. What if your best friend ghosted you?
3. I wish I had spoken up when…
4. Rules are made to be broken. For example…

See www.qtwritersfestival.nz/competitions/ for more details.

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