Poetry Recitation Competition 2026

The GreatTalk National Speech Competition is a nationwide public speaking platform for students from Year 0 to Year 13. Founded on the belief in the transformative power of speech, the competition provides young people across Aotearoa New Zealand with a meaningful platform to share their ideas, express their perspectives, and find their voices.

Through this competitive journey, students learn to organise ideas logically and develop the skills to communicate their ideas and purpose effectively to their intended audiences. The competition provides an authentic stage where young speakers cultivate resilience, empathy, and persuasive communication skills, empowering them not only to articulate their own thoughts with confidence but also to make a meaningful impact on the world around them.

The judging criteria are guided by the official assessment framework of Speech New Zealand.

Entry is free and open to the public.

Key Dates

Registration : 22 June 2026 — 11 August 2026

Preliminary Round (Live via Zoom)

Saturday, 15 August 2026 | From 5:00 pm
• Year 0–2
• Year 3–4
• Year 5–6

Sunday, 16 August 2026 | From 5:00 pm
• Year 7–8
• Year 9–10
• Year 11–13

Grand Final (In Person)
1 pm onwards | Sunday, 13 September 2026
Venue: University of Auckland

Prize Giving Ceremony
10.30am | Monday, 19 October 2026
Venue: New Zealand Parliament House, Wellington

Support New Zealand 

Speech New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation committed to making communication education equitable, accessible, and empowering for all learners. If you would like to support Speech NZ's work in empowering communities through excellence in communication and performance education, we warmly welcome donations of any size. Every contribution helps create more opportunities for young people to find and share their voices.

Donation Link:
https://www.speechnz.co.nz/donations/

We look forward to hearing the voices of young speakers from across Aotearoa once again and wish all contestants the very best in their preparations.

2026 Competition Winners (update July 2026)

Congratulations to all of our winners and participants in the GreatTalk 2026 Poetry Recitation Competition.

This year’s competition brought together 107 students from across New Zealand, all united by a love of poetry and language. Through their performances, the contestants demonstrated not only a genuine passion for literature, but also a thoughtful understanding of the poets, the messages behind the poems, and the emotions they sought to convey.

The competition revealed the creativity, sensitivity, and tremendous potential of young people in the performing arts. We were inspired by the way students interpreted poetry with confidence and authenticity, bringing words on the page to life.

We are deeply grateful for the enthusiastic support from schools, teachers, and families, whose encouragement made this event possible. We would also like to thank the many schools that have recognised and celebrated their students' achievements.

Congratulations to all participants, and thank you to every student, parent, teacher, and school community for the commitment and effort that made the first GreatTalk Poetry Recitation Competition such a meaningful and memorable event.