Kinetic Kiwi

YEAR 7 and 8 writing competition.

The Elsie Locke writing prize

This year’s topic is “Life as a new New Zealander”.

Students are asked to write a fictional short story about someone who has newly arrived in New Zealand. This person could be in your class, your friend, a parent or another relative – or it could be you. Imagine an event, big or small, that your character is responding to. It could be a party invite, a game of football, a Skype call with a friend or family member in another country, or even a virus lockdown. How does your character respond? Don’t forget to consider their feelings more generally. For example, are they anxious? Homesick? Lonely? Excited about living in a new country? Or maybe it’s a mix?

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for a piece of writing (500–600 words) that shows:

• an original and thoughtful response to the topic
• a sense of time, place, and character
• an understanding of the event described, and its importance to the main character
• an ability to engage the reader
• clarity, coherence, and an effective use of language.

Entries can be typed or handwritten, but they must be the writer’s own work. A condition of entry is that the winner’s story becomes Crown copyright.

Enter by by Friday 10 July 2020.

Show your draft to Mrs Bellis and she will give you the entry details

Writing tips