Australian kids' competitions to enter in 2026

real competitions. for real aussie kids. dive in.

art Wild At Art Run by the Australian Conservation Foundation. Kids pick an Aussie threatened species, create art that tells its story, and help raise awareness for some of our most at-risk wildlife. Judges look for emotional connection over technical skill - exactly what kid art does best. opens 2026-06-22 Free National opens soon art Operation Art A NSW classic with a beautiful purpose. Kids create artwork, and 50 pieces are gifted each year to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead - actually hung in the wards to lift sick kids’ spirits. Every entry is framed and exhibited in a NSW gallery. More than 10,000 visitors see the exhibitions each year. closes 2026-06-26 Paid - $100/artwork (paid by school) NSW live now art Nunga Kids Art Competition Run by the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People in SA. A safe, celebrated space for First Nations kids to express themselves through creative artwork on the year’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day theme. All artwork displayed at the Commissioner’s office during NAIDOC Week. Annually, aligned with NAIDOC Week (early July) Free SA dates TBC art Faber-Castell Create Your Mark A whole-class crowd-pleaser. Faber-Castell partners with Cool Australia to build a curriculum-aligned brief for Aussie classrooms - kids create using Faber-Castell products around themes like ’Create Your Mark For A Brighter Future.’ The school of the most inspiring entries scores $1,500 worth of Faber-Castell products. Annually, school-aligned (Term 3) Free National dates TBC art Banabae - We Are All Artists The dream prize for any kid who loves clothes and creativity. Banabae - the Aussie kids’ clothing brand - turns the winner’s artwork into a real product in their next collection. Winner takes home a $500 voucher plus their design printed onto actual Banabae wares. Four runners-up get $50 vouchers each. Closes late April Free National dates TBC art Camp Australia Big Art Comp Australia’s biggest OSHC provider runs a national art comp every single term. Hundreds of kids enter each round. Past prizes have included custom hoodies featuring kids’ own artwork, LEGO Creative Happy Boxes, $50 Art Shed vouchers, and a Grand Prize trophy designed by The Brickman himself. Real artist Kerry Evitts judges each round. Quarterly - one per school term Free National live now art Eckersley’s Kids Colouring Competition Eckersley’s Art & Craft is Australia’s beloved 60-year-old art supplies chain. Kids pick up a free colouring sheet at any Eckersley’s store (or download it online), colour it in any way they like - pencils, paints, crayons, anything goes - and submit. Winners scoop $50 Eckersley’s gift cards. Multiple times per year (Easter, holidays, Christmas) Free National dates TBC art Eckersley’s Art & Craft Prize Launched 2025 to celebrate Eckersley’s 60th anniversary. National exhibition at Hazelhurst Arts Centre in September. While the headline prize targets adult artists, this one’s worth tracking for any youth/junior categories that may be added. Annually Paid (entry fee) National dates TBC art Staedtler Secondary School Artist of the Year Staedtler runs an annual high-school comp with a $5,000 prize pool. Weekly random draw of $200 Staedtler art packs throughout the entry period. Plus a People’s Choice voting round. Three professional Australian artists judge. opens 2026-06-22 Free National opens soon art Staedtler World Kids Colouring Day A global initiative by Staedtler that’s been running for 18 years. Kids submit a drawing on the year’s theme, and for every picture submitted Staedtler donates to a Plan International project supporting girls’ education - in 2026 this funds education for girls in Malawi. Entries March-May, day is 6 May Free National (international) dates TBC art Smiggle Christmas Card Competition The cult Aussie kids’ stationery brand runs an annual Christmas card design comp. Kids download a template, draw the front cover, colour it in - the winning design gets featured on actual Smiggle Christmas cards. Prizes typically include vouchers and Smiggle gear. Annually around October-November Free National dates TBC art Crayola Creative Acts of Color (Open Call) Crayola’s ’Creative Acts of Color’ is an open call rather than a traditional comp - kids share their creative work on social tagged @Crayola and #StayCreative. Less about winning, more about being part of a global creative movement. Crayola also runs an annual Crayola Creativity Week (typically January). Year-round Open Call Free International live now art Royal Adelaide Show - Junior Art, Craft & Design Australia’s largest annual junior art, craft and design display. Real prize money, real exhibition slots in the Goyder Pavilion. Categories cover painting, drawing, digital photography, pottery, sewing, and dozens more. closes 2026-07-17 Paid (entry fees) SA live now art NSW Children’s Week Art Competition Run by the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People. The 2025 theme was ’Everyone should know about children’s rights’ based on Article 42 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Group entries allowed and encouraged. Three age categories with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place per category. Mid-October Free NSW dates TBC art Children’s Rights Queensland Art Competition Run by Children’s Rights Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Family and Child Commission. 2025 theme was ’Every Queensland child is loved, respected and has their rights upheld.’ Over 300 entries received in 2025, with first/second/third place winners sharing $2,000+ in prizes across age groups. Annually Free QLD dates TBC art Save The Frogs! Art Contest Frog conservation through art. Junior (under 18) and student categories. Aussie kids welcome. Quirky, niche, surprisingly popular. closes 2026-11-01 Free International closes Nov writing NSW WriteOn Competition The annual creative writing comp run by the NSW Department of Education in partnership with the State Library. The 2026 stimulus: ’It was a small thing, but it made a difference.’ Winning entries are published in the ’Best of WriteOn’ anthology - a real book, kids’ words in print. closes 2026-06-19 Free NSW live now writing Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards One of Australia’s longest-running and most prestigious kids’ poetry comps, named after the woman who wrote ’My Country.’ 2026’s optional theme is The Traveller. Cash prizes plus an annual anthology that publishes winners, runners-up, shortlisted and commended poems. Entries can be solo, group, or whole-class. No AI. closes 2026-06-30 Paid (small fee) National live now writing Better Read Kids Writing Competition Run by Sydney’s beloved Better Read Than Dead bookstore. The 2026 theme is ’metamorphosis.’ Every entry gets published in an anthology - so just by entering, kids become published writers. Category winners score a $100 Better Read voucher, runners-up get $50. closes 2026-08-01 Free National live now writing CBCA WA’s Make Your Own Storybook Awards Make a real book - cover to cover, original text, original illustrations, hand-bound. Solo or duo. Run by the Children’s Book Council of Australia (WA). The most ’you’ve actually made a book’ feel of any kids’ comp out there. Strictly no AI. closes 2026-06-05 Free WA live now writing Randolph Stow Young Writers Award Cash prizes for primary writers in regional WA. Winners get a perpetual trophy displayed in their school until end of Term 2 the following year. Two students from Years 6-11 also win passes to The Literature Centre’s Young Writers Collective Program. closes 2026-07-03 Free WA - regional only live now writing Book Links Short Story Writing Competition A nice low-key one for upper primary writers. $100 prize plus the winning story published on the Book Links website. Open theme. closes 2026-09-18 Free National closes Sep writing State Premier’s Reading Challenges Not a competition - a challenge. Hundreds of thousands of kids do this each year. Read enough books from your state’s curated booklist and earn a certificate signed by the Premier. The vibe is participation, not winning - but it’s a big motivating force for reluctant readers. Each state runs its own version with similar mechanics. Term 1 to Term 3 (varies by state) Free NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA, TAS live now photography & film Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition (Australia Zoo) Run by Australia Zoo and the Irwin family. Big-ticket prizes: 2 nights at the Crocodile Hunter Lodge (over $1,800 value), Australia Zoo family passes, signed gift baskets. Robert Irwin started his photography career here as a junior finalist. Annually, dates TBC Free National dates TBC photography & film Very Short Film Festival - Junior Category (VSFF) Australia’s coolest under-the-radar youth film festival. Selected films premiere at the VSFF Festival Weekend in Hobart, then tour nationally. The festival publishes a free step-by-step filmmaking guide. Phone footage is fine. Annually, festival in Hobart Free National dates TBC stem Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) Australia’s oldest and biggest maths comp - running since 1978. Over 250,000 entries annually. Every student gets an award (Participation, Proficiency, Distinction, High Distinction, Prize). Entered through schools. The pathway to the Australian Maths Olympiad starts here. closes 2026-07-03 Paid (school entry) National (and international) live now stem APSMO Maths Olympiad (Years 5-6) Designed for kids who light up at hard maths problems. Running since 1987. Four contests, 5 questions each, no calculator. Less about the answer, more about how creatively you got there. Contests run early Term 2 onwards Paid (school entry) National (and NZ) dates TBC stem Matific Maths Olympiad A 5-day-long online comp focused on participation, not excellence. Schools and kids earn stars by completing maths activities. Top schools win up to $1,500. Every student gets a certificate. Registration June - August, competition mid-August Free National dates TBC stem Think Science! Competition (ANSTO) Run by ANSTO (Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation). Free entry, generous prizes for winning schools. Designed to teach science inquiry skills in a fun way. Particularly strong at primary level. closes 2026-07-03 Free National live now stem Young ICT Explorers (YICTE) Founded by SAP and free to enter. Approximately $30,000 in cash prizes annually. Kids build real-world tech projects - from coding apps to designing tools for people with disabilities to building robots. closes 2026-07-31 Free National live now stem FIRST LEGO League (Australia) Where kids fall in love with engineering. Teams research a real-world problem, build a LEGO robot to solve missions, and present their solutions at competitions that escalate from regional to national to international. Season runs August-April Paid (team registration) National (and global) dates TBC writing Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee A national kids’ spelling tradition. Three reading levels (Green Years 3-4, Orange 5-6, Red 7-8). Kids compete from school, with state finalists progressing to a national final. Past winners have met the actual Prime Minister. opens 2026-07-20 Free National opens soon writing NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee The classic spoken spelling bee. Kids compete at class level, then school level, then regional level via video. Winners progress to State Finals at Penrith Performing & Visual Arts. School Term 2-3, Regional Term 3, State Final October Free NSW dates TBC performance Wakakirri National Story-Dance Festival Australia’s largest performing arts event for schools - over 10,000 students annually since 1992. Schools tell a story through dance, drama and music. The 2026 theme is ’Guardians of Us.’ Performed in professional theatres, with regional video options. Less about technical dance, more about creative storytelling. Performances in Term 3 Paid (school entry) National dates TBC performance ACMF National Songwriting Competition Run by the Australian Children’s Music Foundation. Over $20,000 in prizes - all paid towards musical equipment or tuition (so prize money goes straight back into music). A breakthrough comp for any kid who writes songs in their bedroom. closes 2026-09-21 Free National closes Sep performance Oz Schools Instrumental Championships (OSIC) A national series of state championships culminating in a National Final. Kids qualify by audition, nomination, or by placing 1st-3rd in an Australian eisteddfod. Top placers go to State Finals at iconic venues. Qualifying period Aug-Aug Paid National live now performance ASME Young Composers Awards (state-based) State-by-state competition for young composers. Multiple categories - solo instrument, ensemble, choir, rock/pop/EDM with or without lyrics. Winning compositions are performed live at the awards ceremony. State-based, varies Paid (small fee) SA, QLD, others live now performance Class Clowns Run by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. A free workshop with a professional comedian, then perform at a real heat in front of a live audience. Past participants include Joel Creasey and Rhys Nicholson. Cash prize $1,500 for the National Grand Final winner plus $1,000 for their school. Heats Term 1, National Grand Final at Melbourne Comedy Festival Free National dates TBC art Micador Brand Giveaways Aussie owned art supplies brand. Micador runs regular brand giveaways - ’Win a Year of Micador,’ ’Win a Year of early stART,’ etc. Sub-brands include early stART (toddlers), Micador jR. (kids), Micador (tweens) and Micador for Artists. Rolling throughout the year Free National dates TBC

already run this year (back next time)

art Young Archie The little sibling of the Archibald, Australia’s most prestigious portrait prize. Kids paint, draw or pastel a portrait of someone who matters to them - a parent, a grandparent, a best friend - and finalists hang in the Art Gallery of NSW alongside the grown-ups. Late Jan to early March National opens again ~Jan art Cossack Children’s Art Awards A regional WA gem. Each child gets a free 30x30cm canvas to paint, and finalists are exhibited at the Galbraith Store in Cossack alongside the famous Cossack Art Awards. Category winners receive $100, the overall winner takes home $300 plus a 50% framing discount. Plus art packs from paintbox for highly commendeds. Entries 24 March - 28 April WA - regional only opens again ~Mar art Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists Named after picture book legend Shaun Tan (The Arrival, The Lost Thing). Winners’ work hangs in a month-long public exhibition at Subiaco Library, professionally framed or mounted. The City of Subiaco picks up the framing tab. No AI-generated work allowed. Open 24 April, close 18 May WA opens again ~Apr art Spencil Art Prize Run by Aussie kids’ stationery brand Spencil. Major Prize Packs worth $400 each plus 20 runner-up prizes and weekly staff picks. The prize pack includes Get Arty Colouring Sets, Silky Crayons, art smock, sketchbook and more - so the prize itself is fuel for the next masterpiece. Closes early March National annual art Sydney Royal Easter Show - Junior Arts & Crafts Australia’s biggest creativity showcase has been running since 1869 - approximately 5,500 exhibits across 500 categories. The Junior Art, Craft & Design competition has hundreds of classes for kids aged 2-20. Winning entries displayed in the Arts & Crafts Pavilion, the third-most-visited pavilion at the Easter Show. Entries close 29 January National (NSW) annual art International Festival of Owls Kids’ Art Contest Started in 2004 as a small US festival comp, now over 2,000 entries from dozens of countries. Niche but enthusiastic - a perfect home for kids who love owls (and kids who love owls really love owls). No AI, no adult help. Original art, posted to Minnesota. Closes 15 January International (postal to USA) annual writing Whitlam Institute What Matters? Writing Competition A really special one. The Whitlam Institute asks kids one question - what matters? - and lets them answer however they want. Last year over 6,500 students entered. Year 5/6 winners get $350, a creative writing workshop, and an Allen & Unwin book pack. The overall winner takes home $1,500. Every entry is read by a real human. Closes 15 May National annual writing Whitsunday Voices Short Story Competition Cash prizes for first, second and third place in each age category. Word limits step up with year level - 300-400 for Grades 3-4, up to 1,200 for Years 11-12. Pure creative freedom on subject matter. Strictly no AI. Closes 30 April National annual writing Laura Literary Awards (Prose & Poetry) Run by the Rocky River Writers Club out of country SA. A lovely small-but-mighty comp with two streams - Prose and Poetry (CJ Dennis Poetry Awards). $25 to Junior winners, $15 to Junior Primary. Note: entries must be POSTED, not emailed. Closes 8 May National annual writing South Perth Young Writers Award (SPYWA) Shortlisted entrants score a one-on-one workshop with a published local author for tailored feedback. Finalists get prizes up to $150 and have their work published in a SPYWA Anthology - one copy gifted to each finalist, one to their school library, one held in City of South Perth Libraries. Closes 18 May WA - regional only annual writing The Golden Pen (Scribblers Festival) Run by Scribblers Festival, Perth’s kids’ lit festival. The 2026 theme is Metamorphosis. Overall winner gets an e-reader and book pack ($249 value). Shortlisted entrants get 6-month book subscriptions. Bonus: classroom entries of 5+ can win a workshop with a Scribblers creative. Closes 3 March WA annual writing CYA Conference Hatchlings Award Run by the CYA Conference (Children’s & Young Adults’ writers conference). Solid cash prizes - $100 first, $60 second, $40 third. Categories vary by writing form, with word counts to match. Closes mid-April National annual writing Just Write - For Kids (SA Public Libraries) Run by Marion City Council’s library network. First prize up to $200, second up to $100. Word limits 300-750 (9-10s) or 500-1,000 (11-13s). Open theme. Closes 18 January SA annual photography & film Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year - Junior Category The big one. Run by the South Australian Museum with Australian Geographic. Junior winners take home $500, runners-up $250, plus all finalists get exhibited at the SA Museum and Australian Museum. Up to 4 entries per kid across categories like Animals in Nature, Landscape, Threatened Species, Macro, Astrophotography. This is the comp Robert Irwin won as a kid. Entries early Dec - early Feb National (and NZ) opens again ~Dec photography & film Little Sydney Lives Photography Competition Run by City of Sydney as part of the Australian Life program. Kids capture Sydney through their own lens - phone snaps welcome, no fancy gear needed. From harbour sparkle to suburban stillness. Selected works exhibit outdoors in central Sydney. Opens 13 April, closes 17 May NSW (Sydney) opens again ~Apr photography & film Australian Museum Ocean Photography (Young Ocean Photographer) Linked to the Australian Museum’s Ocean Photographer of the Year program. Three winners receive OM System Tough TG-7 underwater cameras - actual gear they can use to take more photos. Closes 3 May National annual photography & film Flickerfest FlickerUp (Australian National Youth Competition) Australia’s leading short film festival - and the Academy Award qualifying one. The youth competition (FlickerUp) screens at Bondi alongside the international films. Winning here is a proper foot in the door of the Aussie film industry. FlickerUp entries close late November, festival January at Bondi National annual stem Big Science Competition (ASI) Run by Australian Science Innovations. 50 minutes, mixed format, problem-solving and critical thinking in real-life contexts. Pathway to the Australian Science Olympiads program. Sitting period early-mid May National (and international) annual

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