The Youthtown Songwriting Competition Aotearoa 2021 is a competition run by Play It Strange in partnership with Youthtown for students in Year 9 – 11.

The competition celebrates and embraces the voice of our youth through song – shared with schools, community, whanau, peers and the wider music community.

Voice Of Our Youth

Write a song that portrays life as a teenager in Aotearoa

Give It A Go

Write an upbeat song that inspires and encourages the ambitions of young Kiwis.

16 songs will be chosen from each of the 3 regions (8 in each category) to be professionally recorded. Songwriters of these 48 songs will then enjoy the experience of having their song recorded in a professional recording studio in their region.

All songs will be mastered for the 2021 Youthtown Songwriting Competition Aotearoa Album. The overall winner in each category will be invited to perform at the 2021 Play It Strange Awards held in December 2021.

Entries close on April 23, and you can find more info here.