All Year 0–Year 8 students from the Canterbury region can enter the DigiAwards, including home-schooled children and students who attend Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu in the Canterbury region.

Grow Waitaha encourages ākonga from Māori medium schools to submit entries in te reo Māori. 

Entries will be categorised in the following year groups:

• Year 0–Year 2
• Year 3–Year 4
• Year 5–Year 6
• Year 7–Year 8

If an entry is created by students from a range of ages, please select the year range that the oldest student falls into.

For each of the year categories above we will award a prize in the following sub-categories:

• Individual
• Small group (2-8 students)
• Large group or Class (9+ students)

The DigiAwards empowers primary and intermediate students from throughout Waitaha to design, develop, and showcase their digital projects.

Entries can be any form of digital project – in the past this has included videos, websites, coded apps or games,
commercials, Minecraft designs, or VR – and more. The opportunities are endless.

This is a chance to unleash and acknowledge your students' digital creativity.

Download our full explainer guide [PDF: 4 pages 210KB].

• 19 July – Entries open
• 6 October – Entries close
• 10 November – Celebration Event

Enter now here.

The theme for DigiAwards 2022 is:

Waihiko or a self-chosen theme

Waihiko Theme

Tō pitomata, He rua kanapū wehi ana. Your potential is something to behold, like lightning that lights up the skies.

This whakatauki relates to Waihiko, who is Ariki Creative's interpretation of the atua (god) of electricity. An element that has always been there but only in recent times has humankind had the capacity and capability to interact with her.

The daughter of Tamanuiterā (The Sun) and Rua Korekore (the potential), Waihiko loved to race across the solar system with her māmā and pāpā. 

The Waihiko pūrākau provides a narrative that shows a Māori connection to the digital, technological realms and highlights the power we have to harness unlimited potential. But with power comes great responsibility.

​Especially with notions of noa and tapu, kawa and tikanga – how do we practice and adhere to these, digitally?  

Self–chosen theme

Educators and students who wish to submit entries under a self-chosen theme can identify their own special concept to focus projects on.

Powered by Grow Waitaha, we are excited to share a special, virtual, FREE learning opportunity for Y6–8 ākonga to attend iNVENTIONATOR this year! 

Delivered completely online, this special edition of iNVENTIONATOR is specially designed for Y5–8 in Canterbury only to support their entries into DigiAwards.

iNVENTIONATOR always books up fast! Places are limited so register your ākonga early.

Registrations are open now for iNVENTIONATOR!

Who's it for?
Y5–8 ākonga in Waitaha | Canterbury only.

How long does it last?
Learning resources lead up to the iNVENTIONATOR event held over 2 days on 12 and 13th September 2022.

What will ākonga do?
With support from CORE Education facilitators, ākonga bring an idea for a solution to a problem and/or skill set to pitch at iNVENTIONATOR. Ākonga work together, grow their creative and critical thinking skills and level up their innovation!

Where and when?
Online
12 and 13th September 2022

9 - 3pm

How can I find out more?

Learn more in our FAQ fact sheet [PDF : 2 pages 153KB]

Learn about What is iNVENTIONATOR - What, Why and How in this podcast with Suzi Gould. 

Nau piri mai, nau hono mai ki tēnei tauwhāinga ā-tuihono o HīAko Grow Waitaha, 2022. Tuku atu tō mahi ki kōnei.

Powered by Grow Waitaha, we are offering a very special, virtual learning opportunity just for Y6–8 ākonga in Canterbury. Your work created for HīAko can be entered into this year’s Digi Awards. 

Rēhita mai ki kōnei (Tono atu tēnei hononga ki ōu ākonga)

Register here 

Te rā: Wāhanga 3, Te Wiki 6, 12 & 13 o Hepetema 2022

Te wāhi: He tauwhāinga tuihono

We use one scoring criteria so that different types of entries can be submitted and judged fairly.

Download our full explainer guide [PDF: 4 pages 210KB]

Learn more about the te reo Māori category here. [PDF: 202 KB, 1 pg]

Learn more about the English category here. [PDF: 228 KB, 1 pg]

To ensure the DigiAwards are fair, all entries must meet the following criteria:

• All entries must be the original work of the student/s submitting the entry.
• All entries must reflect the DigiAwards 2022 Waihiko theme or a self chosen theme.
• Any other media content, such as images and sound, need to adhere to appropriate Creative Commons licensing. See our list of supporting Creative Commons websites.
• All entries must be created after 1 February 2021.  
• The entry form needs to be completed in full.
• An adult needs to be identified on the entry form.
• If an entry is created by students from a range of ages, the year range that the oldest student falls into must be selected.
• A link to a public file/resource needs to be provided for each entry. Please do not send in source files. For example, entries can be uploaded onto a YouTube account with the privacy option on ‘Public', or be able to be viewed independently.
• The person completing the entry form will need to indicate they have read the DigiAwards terms and conditions.

Please ask questions in this form about what is possible for your ākonga in your school context for DigiAwards 2022.

Follow our page on Facebook or Instagram for the latest news.

By participating in the DigiAwards, schools can help realise the New Zealand Curriculum vision of our young people being confident, creative, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners.

The DigiAwards provides an opportunity for our learners to:

• experience learning that is underpinned by the high expectations and future focus principles
• explore the values of excellence, innovation, inquiry, and curiosity
• develop key competencies
• achieve learning outcomes described in the English and Technology learning area, in particular the digital technologies areas of the Technology learning area.

Find out more about DigiAwards and digital technologies learning (PDF).