Share Your Story and Win!

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Story Worlds Competition Call Out

A celebration of storytelling through language, participation, and ecology

What kind of stories does the world really need right now? 

We want you to reflect on the bigger picture. Go beyond your personal desires—think about stories that care for the world, bring people together, and spark change. 

What stories are urgent today? What stories help us understand each other, the land, and ourselves? 

Let this guide you as you create and share a story in your own way. 

This year, we are asking you to share a story that connects with one of three themes through one of three formats.
Pick your theme
Choose one theme to tell your story: 

  • Language as Living – Language is always shifting. It lives in what we say, write, and make. How does your story carry the rhythm of your words or culture? 
  • Participation as Creation – Storytelling is not something we do alone. What happens when we create something with others, or when many voices shape the same story? 
  • Ecology as Becoming – We are all part of the natural world. How does your story show our relationship with the earth, and how we change alongside it? 
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Pick your format
Choose one format to tell your story: 

  • Oral – A video or audio recording (max 3 minutes) 
  • Written – A story, poem, or reflection (max 600 words) 
  • Material – Show us something you have made or collected (up to 5 images in a PDF, plus 100 words describing it) 

Who can enter?
We welcome entries from all ages: 

  • 5–12 years 
  • 13–17 years 
  • 18+  

One winner will be selected for each category. Finalists will each receive a $100 voucher to spend at the Govett-Brewster Store or Puke Ariki Store—you choose. 

How to submit:
Email your entry to: storyworlds@npdc.govt.nz on or before Sunday 31 August.
All finalists will be offered x2 tickets to the opening night event held at Puke Ariki on Friday 12 September where the winners will be announced. 

Include:

  • Your name 
  • Your age 
  • Chosen format (Oral / Written / Material) 
  • Chosen theme (Language / Participation / Ecology) 

A final note
Storytelling is for everyone. You do not have to be a ‘writer’ or an ‘artist’—you just have to be willing to share something meaningful. This is your chance to contribute to a growing archive of stories that help us feel, think, and imagine differently. 

Listen deeply. Speak honestly. Imagine boldly. Join us.