Competitions

DOWNLOAD Competition Reference Sheet 2023 PDF

DOWNLOAD Competition Reference Sheet 2024 PDF


Competition Information – Be In To Win!

Entering our competitions is beneficial for members for a variety of reasons. Our competitions provide a challenge and motivate writers to learn and improve their craft. Often the topics and genres provide an opportunity to try something new. Contestants receive individual feedback from our experienced judges.

Please note that in the past, our judges published their critiques for first, second and third place winning entries in The Christian Writer magazine, but now critiques are emailed privately to each contestant and only the judges’ general comments for each level are published.

Points are allocated to Level One, Two and Three place-getters in every magazine. Points earned are: 15 points for first, 12 points for second and 9 points for third. 

In Levels One and Two, every six months contestants’ points are added up so prizes for first, second and third can be awarded in each level. The monetary prizes awarded mid-year and at the end of the year are $60 for First Place, $50 for Second Place and $40 for Third place. Currently, Level Three points are only added up at the end of the year after twelve months work but from 2023, Level Three will be transitioning to the same six-month competition points and rewards system as Levels One and Two (for full details, scroll down to view our updated Prizes and Promotion Criteria).

Entries are judged on the following:


Contestants must be current members of NZCW and 16 years or over. The idea is to earn your way from Level One in steps up to Level Three.

To be promoted by the judges to the next level, a contestant must achieve at least three placings and consistently supply quality entries. Entries must demonstrate the contestant has been learning from the critiques and improving over a period of time. Level Three end of year overall monetary first prize winners qualify to become a Judge’s Assistant which means they are invited to train to become a Competition Judge for NZ Christian Writers.

Competition topics are on the inside final page of the magazine and on our downloadable Competition Reference Sheet 2024 which lets you know the topics for the entire year. Pick a topic and have a go!


COMPETITION COORDINATOR:
Debbie McDermott: level1 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

COMPETITION JUDGES:

Level 1: Debbie McDermott: level1 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org
Level 2: Lesley Edgeler & Shirley Jamieson: level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org
Level 3: Julia Martin: level3 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org


WHICH LEVEL DO I ENTER?
Level 1: For new members and all other members who haven’t competed enough to be promoted to Level 2. Age limit: 16 years old or over.
Level 2: For the members who have been promoted by the judges from Level 1. Age limit: 16 years old or over.
Level 3: For members who have been promoted by the judges from Level 2 plus members on the Honours List. Age limit: 16 years old or over.

Entries are to be the sole work of the writer and no collaboration is allowed.

If you’re not sure which Level you are on, please contact the Competition Coordinator, Debbie McDermott, at: level1 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org


INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ENTRANTS AT ALL LEVELS:
All entrants must be a Paid Member of NZ Christian Writers
There is an eVoucher prize of: $60 for 1st Place$50 for 2nd Place, and $40 for 3rd Place.

To reward our competition winners we are currently looking at emailing eVouchers from Manna Christian Stores. The voucher number is very easy to use in-store or online at the checkout. All details and T&Cs for Manna Christian Stores Gift Vouchers can be read here: www.manna.co.nz/Manna-Vouchers


HOW TO REDEEM YOUR VOUCHER ONLINE?: 
Vouchers can be redeemed online at the checkout during Step 5: Payment Method. You’ll need to enter your voucher number into the space provided under Use Voucher, then click Apply Voucher. Click here to redeem your voucher now.

HOW TO REDEEM YOUR VOUCHER IN-STORE?: To redeem a voucher at any of Manna’s 14 stores nationwide, simply present your voucher at the time of purchase. Click here to find your nearest Manna store.


FORMATTING, ENTRY GUIDELINES & CRITERIA:
Email entry as an attachment, complete with Word Count and your Name
Font: 
Arial, 10 pt. Heading: Bold Title Case, 18 pt. Line spacing: Multiple 1.2
Paragraph Spacing: 
6 pt. Paragraph Indentation: None. Alignment: Justified.
Wordcount: Do NOT include titles, footnotes or bibliographies in the wordcount (unless informed otherwise) and ensure main content is no more than 5% above or below the wordcount. Maximum wordcounts must not be exceeded at all.
Send a photo of yourself for publishing purposes.

EMAILING YOUR ENTRY:
Your entry should be emailed to the competition judge as a Microsoft or Open Office Word document attachment, complete with word count, your name and your locality, by the 1st of the month prior to the magazine’s publication date. Only one entry per entrant is allowed in any given issue of the magazine.


PRIZES & PROMOTION CRITERIA:
Level 1 contestants who achieve overall 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in the first three competitions of the year will be promoted up to Level 2. Level 2 contestants who achieve overall 1st or 2nd place in the first three competitions of the year will be promoted up to Level 3. Level 3 contestants who achieve overall 1st place in the first three AND the last three competitions of the year will be promoted to the Honours List. At the end of the first three competitions of the year, all contestants go back to zero points for the final three competitions of the year and the process of working towards being promoted to the next level begins again. There will be a mid-year and end-of-year awarding of certificates and prizes in the form of gift vouchers to overall Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 winners. To be promoted to Level 2 or 3, contestants must receive points at least three times on their current Level. The judges also require regular entries plus improved writing.


COMPETITIONS 2023

LEVEL ONE – Email entry to Debbie McDermott at: level1 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

DECEMBER – due November 1st

Write a devotion with Christmas as its central theme. Include a Bible verse at the beginning and finish the devotion with four lines of poetry, preferably original. Don’t forget to give credit to the writer if using someone else’s poem and give your devotion an appropriate title. (400 words)


LEVEL TWO Email entry to Lesley Edgeler & Cindy David at: level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

DECEMBER – due November 1st

Imagine hosting a Christmas event dedicated to the homeless in your community, most of whom haven’t heard about Jesus. As a host, you will be required to open the event with a prayer. Compose an encouraging prayer that will convey the true meaning of Christmas and incorporate the words ‘Spirit’ and ‘hope’. (300 words)

Email entry to Cindy David at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org


LEVEL THREE – Email entry to Julia Martin at: level3 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

DECEMBER – due November 1st

Write a poem in any format on a Christmas theme incorporating all five senses. (Up to 24 lines)


COMPETITIONS 2024

LEVEL ONE – Email entry to Debbie McDermott at: level1 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

FEBRUARY – due January 1st

In the Bible, Jesus is referred to as a lamb and as a lion (e.g. Revelation 5:5 and 22:3). Research this topic, then write an essay on both aspects—what they signify and what they mean to you. Bible references and quotations should comprise no more than 25% of total content. Include a brief bibliography. (500 words, excluding bibliography)

APRIL – due March 1st

Beginning with a relevant Bible verse, write an inspiring devotional piece on the topic of Easter. Ensure you include a short testimony (yours, or someone else’s with their permission) and conclude the devotion with a short prayer. (350 words)

JUNE – due May 1st

Beginning with the words ‘The clock struck midnight…’, write a story that is full of mystery and keeps your reader sitting on the edge of their seat until the final sentence when all is revealed. (500 words)

AUGUST – due July 1st

Select a poem with a biblical theme and write a story based on the poem’s main message. Your story must be in prose. Give it whatever title you like, but your subtitle must be: ‘Based on the poem [title of poem] by [name of poet]’. A copy of the poem must also be provided so the judge can compare it with your story. (450 words, story only)

OCTOBER – due September 1st

Think about someone who influenced your life when you were a child growing up or as an adult. In what way did they encourage and inspire you to become the person you are today? (400 words)

DECEMBER – due November 1st

Using Luke 14:13 as your key point of reference, write a true or fictional story on inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind to a Christmas banquet and describe what effect it has on them. Use fictional names if the story is based on fact. (450 words)


LEVEL TWO Email entry to Lesley Edgeler & Shirley Jamieson at: level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

FEBRUARY – due January 1st

Describe an interesting place you have visited on holiday in New Zealand. Show the reader the fun or adventure you had so that others will plan to visit the site as well. Include a photo. (400 words)

Email entry to Shirley Jamieson at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

APRIL – due March 1st

Choose a famous quotation to include at the end of a short story narrated by the antagonist to a group of imaginary secondary school students. You must mention the person who originated the quotation. (350 words)

Email entry to Lesley Edgeler at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

JUNE – due May 1st

Residents in rest homes often miss owning a pet. Research the trained visitor dog service in New Zealand, then tell a story of the difference that visits make to an imaginary elderly person’s life. (500 words)

Email entry to Shirley Jamieson at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

AUGUST – due July 1st

Write an essay on the topic of Increasing Difficulties for the Christian in our Modern Western Society. Include a true example of Christian suffering. (500 words)

Email entry to Lesley Edgeler at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

OCTOBER – due September 1st

Write a recipe for a happy life based on Scripture, to be printed on a tea towel to be manufactured and sold to the public. Include scriptural ingredients and back-up methods to make the recipe successful. (300 words)

Email entry to Lesley Edgeler at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

DECEMBER – due November 1st

Write an article by one of the shepherds in Luke 2:8-20 for the imaginary Bethlehem Times. Include fictional names for the shepherds and tell of their reaction to seeing baby Jesus, but be factual to the Biblical account itself. (350 words)

Email entry to Shirley Jamieson at level2 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org


LEVEL THREE – Email entry to Julia Martin at: level3 [AT] nzchristianwriters.org

FEBRUARY – due January 1st

Write a new National Anthem for New Zealand in modern language while still retaining a Christian influence. (4 verses maximum)

APRIL – due March 1st

Choose a Bible character mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 (sometimes referred to as God’s Hall of Faith or Hall of Heroes), and in a monologue reveal how your character came to faith in God and how it impacted his or her life. (400 words)

JUNE – due May 1st

Choose one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Imagine you are there and describe your experience in an article suitable for a travel magazine. (350 words)

AUGUST – due July 1st

King Solomon wrote: ‘Better one hand with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind’ (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NIV). Explain what you think he meant and if this statement has any relevance to our modern society. (250 words)

OCTOBER – due September 1st

‘Artificial Intelligence presents benefits and dangers for our world today’. In a secular article, discuss both sides of this comment. (400 words maximum, excluding references if used.)

DECEMBER – due November 1st

You are concerned about the eternal destination of some of your non-Christian friends and family members. Compose an email to send to each of them outlining the good news of the gospel and their need of a Saviour. Use simple language and a gracious approach. (300 words)

Back to Top Join Us