New Zealand Chinese Song Contest

Winners of the New Zealand Chinese Song Contest 2025 announced. All winners will be contacted via email. Congratulations to all participants!

The New Zealand Chinese Song Contest 2025 is organised by the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and is open to all school students and tertiary institution students across New Zealand. The competition is open to Chinese speakers of all proficiency levels.

The contest aims to inspire greater interest in Mandarin language and Chinese culture among New Zealand students while providing a platform to showcase their singing talents. We hope that the contest will attract a wide range of students and styles of performance.

The competition is video-based, to allow students from all over the country to participate.

Prize packs up to the value of $500 for the winners of Category I, Category II, and Category III. Other great prizes for the 2nd and 3rd place-getters. Prizes include electronics, gift and educational vouchers, and cultural gift packs. One of the category winners will win a fully paid trip to Wellington and the opportunity to perform at the NZ Chinese Language Week opening ceremony at New Zealand Parliament.

There are two overall groups of participants. One group for those with a Chinese background, and another for those with no Chinese background. Chinese background includes; one or both parents are a native Chinese speaker (including dialects); have Chinese ancestry and regularly use Chinese in family communication.

  • Category I - Primary School (Year 1-8)
  • Category II -Secondary School (Year 9-13)
  • Category III -Tertiary Group (Age 18-35)

Students may apply as soloists or as part of a group (maximum five people), and as part of a school team, or independently.

Please note that soloists and group entries are in the same category together.

Registration

Register by 25 July 2025. Winners will be announced on 12th August.

Register through the link below and email your consent form, song lyrics, and video recording link to confucius-institute@vuw.ac.nz by 25 July 2025.

Registration form

Consent form for Category I & II (Primary & Secondary)

Consent form for Category III (Tertiary)

Eligibility

  • Currently studying at a New Zealand primary or secondary school or tertiary institution.
  • New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.

Submission Requirements

  • 1-4 minute music video, showcasing significant vocal content of a Mandarin language song (any style). Singers should be visible in the video.
  • Upload video to YouTube (select unlisted video) and send the link to confucius-institute@vuw.ac.nz.
  • Lyrics in Chinese characters must also be submitted via email or as subtitles in the video.

Submission Format

Individual Entry Format

Subject Line:

[Your Full Name as per registration form] - [School Name] - New Zealand Chinese Song Contest 2025

Email Body:

Full Name: [First Name, Last Name]

School: [School Name]

YouTube Video Link: [Insert direct link to your performance video]

Attachment/s:

  • Signed consent form
  • Chinese lyrics of the song (save as a PDF/Word document and attach to the email) if not in the video as subtitles

Group Entry Format

Subject Line: 

[Your Full Name as per registration form] - [School Name] - New Zealand Chinese Song Contest 2025

Email Body:

Full Names of All Group Members: [First Name, Last Name; List names in alphabetical order by last name, e.g., Guoqi Kang, Nikki Li, Anna Smith]

School: [School Name]

YouTube Video Link: [Insert direct link to the group’s performance video]

Attachment/s:

  • Signed consent form
  • Chinese lyrics of the song (save as a PDF/Word document and attach to the email) if not in the video as subtitles

Judging Criteria

  • Musical Talent – vocal and other;
  • Mandarin Language – pronunciation, use of language (if original lyrics);
  • Performance (originality and creativity);
  • Winners will be selected by an independent panel of judges.

Timeline

  • Submission deadline: 25 July 2025, 11.59 PM
  • People’s Choice voting: 31 July-10 August 2025
  • Winners announced: 12 August 2025

Awards

  • Prize packs up to the value of $500 for the winners of Category I, Category II, and Category III.  Other great prizes for the 2nd and 3rd place-getters. Prizes include electronics, gift and educational vouchers, and cultural gift packs.
  • One of the category winners will have the opportunity to perform at the NZ Chinese Language Week opening ceremony at parliament on September 1st. Transport and accommodation costs  from outside of Wellington will be covered by the organisers.
  • Prizes and certificates will be awarded according to each student’s ranking in the competition. Certificates will also be awarded for other participatory categories.
  • There will be a special prize for the ‘People’s Choice’ video based on the number of likes on social media. Additionally, awards such as the Best School Award or Contribution Award will be established. All video entries will be made available to watch on YouTube and to vote from 31st July.
  • All winners will be announced on 12th August. Winners will be notified directly by email. An announcement will also be made on the Confucius Institute social media page and website.

Contact us at confucius-institute@vuw.ac.nz if you have any questions.

Previous competition entries