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)

• 1 July – Entries  are open
• 8 October – Competition closes
• 11 November – Celebration Event

DigiAwards theme 

The theme for DigiAwards 2021 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. Pūrākau provide a framework for how we might engage with the different elements in our taiao and also how they behave.

With how quickly technology and the digital landscape has evolved and been forced upon Māori – it’s been difficult to see ourselves belonging in this space. Especially with notions of noa and tapu, kawa and tikanga – how do we practice and adhere to these, digitally?

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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.

There have been some changes in the way we judge the entries.

We are using a single set of criteria to judge all of the entries, so that more different types of entries can be submitted and that we may judge them fairly.

You can still enter the video stories, websites that you are familiar with though!

We still retain the different Year level categories.

For more information we have made a two-page explainer.

We are offering a webinar to help understand the new criteria later in Term 2. These Facebook Live sessions will be a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have:

https://www.facebook.com/growwaitaha/posts/1619076284928094 

The criteria are available in English and Te reo Māori:

Download the criteria in English

Download the Te reo Māori criteria

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 2020 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 2020.  
• 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.

Supporting our students

We are glad to offer the following series of webinars to support better digital outcomes.

Understanding the new judging criteria webinar

Here we will unpack and support understanding of our new judging criteria.

We have 2 Facebook Live sessions that will be available after the event for viewing as well:

https://www.facebook.com/growwaitaha/posts/1619076284928094

Here is a folder of resources we are using in these sessions.

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).