Kiwi Christmas Books
Young NZ readers in Years 5–13 share a true personal story about a book that changed them, with book prizes and publication in The Sapling.
To celebrate the inaugural NZ Children's Books Week: Read Around Aotearoa, Kiwi Christmas Books is running a nationwide creative writing competition for young readers in Years 5–13.
The prompt is simple but meaningful: how has a book made a difference in your life? Entrants choose one of three titles to write under:
1. A book that changed the way I saw the world
2. A book that came along just at the right time
3. A book that took me on an adventure
Entries should be true personal stories — honest, thoughtful, and written in your own voice. Word count depends on your year level: 300–500 words for Years 5–6, and 500–1,000 words for Years 7–13.
Prizes: The winner of each category receives $250 worth of brand-new books for themselves and $500 worth of books for their school. Winning stories will also be published in The Sapling (thesapling.co.nz). Winners are announced during Aotearoa Children's Book Week, 15–21 August 2026.
Judge: Claire Mabey — Spin Off Books editor, book reviewer, Verb Wellington founder, and award-winning children's author.
Free workshop: A free live online masterclass is available to all participants, taught by Dr Paula Morris — award-winning author, essayist, and Director of the Masters of Creative Writing at the University of Auckland. The workshop runs Tuesday 21 July at 6:30pm for one hour and covers how to turn personal experience into powerful creative non-fiction. Register by emailing your name, age, school, and contact email to hello@kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz with the subject line: Online Masterclass.
Rules:
Judges are looking for authenticity and originality, not perfection. Be personal. Be honest. Be you.
