New Zealand Chinese Song Contest

The New Zealand Chinese Song Contest 2026 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.

There are two overall groups of participants;

Group one: For students with no Chinese background.

Group two: For students with Chinese background where 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.

Download a poster to print out and put up at your school.

Registration

Register by 30 August 2026. Winners will be announced week of 14th September.

Register through the link below and email your consent form, song lyrics, and video recording link to confucius-institute@vuw.ac.nz by 6 September 2026.

Registration form

Consent form For participants under 18 years old, this form must be completed by a parent or legal guardian.

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.

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: 30 August 2026, 11.59 PM
• People’s Choice voting: 4-13 September 2026
• Winners announced: Week of 14 September 2026

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.
• 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 4th September.
• All winners will be announced the week of 14th September. Winners will be notified directly by email. An announcement will also be made on the Confucius Institute social media page and website.