[Registration Opens] The 20th New Zealand Chinese Essay Competition 2026

The New Zealand Chinese Essay Competition, proudly supported by the Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, has been organized by the Confucius Institute in Auckland since 2007.

This year’s Competition is sponsored by Industry and Commercial Bank of China (New Zealand) Limited.

Objectives

• To promote and encourage the use of the Chinese among the learners of Chinese in New Zealand;
• To promote the knowledge of Chinese language and culture as an important resource in an increasingly multi-cultural and global environment;
• To provide an opportunity for students of Chinese language to showcase their learning;
• To inspire students to learn Chinese language by sharing their writings with fellow students.

Requirements

• Style of writing: Any format of ORIGINAL work
• Topic: Chinese Connects You and Me – 中文，连接你和我

Categories

• Category I – Secondary School Junior (Year 7-10): minimum 200 characters
• Category II – Secondary School Senior (Year 11-13): minimum 300 characters
• Category III – Tertiary Category: minimum 500 characters

Eligibility

Non-Chinese Heritage Group:
• New Zealand citizens or New Zealand permanent residents, and full-time registered students.
• Mandarin or any Chinese dialect is not the home language spoken by either parent.
Chinese Heritage Group:
• Full-time registered students born in New Zealand.

Judging Criteria

• Content (idea, originality and creativity)
• Language (vocabulary and grammar)
• Structure (organization and style)

* Machine or AI-assisted/generated content/translation is not acceptable and the decision of the judges is final.

Registration

• School Group Registration through your Chinese teacher;
• Individual Registrations are also acceptable;
• Registrations and submit the essays online at https://forms.gle/ve6ekeU7PvfZcyLM6

Timetable

• All registration and essay submission by 31 August 2026

• Final results and awards will be announced by the end of September 2026