SGCNZ Competition Finalists 2023

update 16/05/23

Our finalists from this year’s SGCNZ Competition Entries have been chosen! We had a wonderful, biggest ever overall, selection this year with many entries to consider so thank you to all who entered and congratulations to our finalists!

A reminder that the names below are listed alphabetically by surname and are NOT in order of final placements. Placing orders will be announced by MC Hon. Grant Robertson at St James Theatre on Sunday 4 June during SGCNZ’s National UOSWSF Competition Prize-Giving and Scene Award Ceremony from 7.00pm!

View the list of Competition Finalists for 2023

Book tickets now!

SGCNZ / Dawn Sanders Shakespeare Costume Design Competition

Finalists:

Isaac Foster Bayfield High School – Cleopatra, The Tragedy of Antony & Cleopatra
Bonnie Wang St Cuthbert’s College – Ariel, The Tempest
Maggie Watts Bayfield High School – Alarbus, Titus Andronicus
Amanda Yu Diocesan School for Girls – Julia, The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Highly Commended:

An Thao Bui Botany Downs Secondary College – Macbeth, Macbeth
Nicole Johnson Botany Downs Secondary College – Lady Macbeth, Macbeth

Commended:

Tvisha Koshiya Cashmere High School – Titania, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Anya Taylor Diocesan School for Girls – Rosalind, As You Like It

SGCNZ / Morrison Music Trust Shakespeare Composition Competition

Category A : Shakespeare related Vocal Composition Finalists:

Hope Milo Howick College – O Happy Dagger

Category B : Shakespeare related Instrumental Composition Finalists:

Karim Efremov John Paul College – Loves Me Not
Joshua Langford Wellington College – Trance
Oliver Lodge Trinity Catholic College – Stars Hide Love

Highly Commended:

Samantha Gomez Howick College
Sarah Shin Macleans College

SGCNZ / Adam Foundation Shakespeare Video Title Card, Poster & Static Image Competitions

Video Title Card Finalists:

Victoria Baker Diocesan School for Girls – Star-Crossed
Keira Gentry Diocesan School for Girls – Rainbow Hearts

Poster Design Finalist:

Katie Lot Diocesan School for Girls – King Lear

Static Image Finalists:

Ivy Greenslade Samuel Marsden Collegiate School – King Lear
Sarah Shin Macleans College – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ao (Sophia) Suo St Margaret’s College – Romeo & Juliet
Bonnie Wang St Cuthbert’s College – Macbeth

Highly Commended:

Millicent Knights Diocesan School for Girls – Macbeth
Anise Maclean Columba College – Macbeth

Commended:

Boya Jung Macleans College – Romeo & Juliet
Sophie Walter Diocesan School for Girls – Romeo & Juliet

SGCNZ / Ida Gaskin Shakespeare Essay Competition ~ With English at Otago

Finalists:

Analytical Option 1

Benjamin Pickering Bayfield High School
Maria Walker-Kinnell Orewa College
Joshua Williams Western Heights High School

Creative Option 3

Sneha Datla St Margaret’s College
Kieva Hanlon St Margaret’s College
Eassin Wang St Cuthbert’s College

Commended Creative Option 3

Anouk Chew St Mary’s College
Leisl Good St Mary’s College
Grace Howard St Margaret’s College

Honourable Mention

Juno Ireland St Mary’s College
Bridget Paton Columba College

Congratulations again to all our finalists! We look forward to seeing you on the evening of Sunday 4 June at St. James Theatre for SGCNZ’s National UOSWSF Competition Prize-Giving and Scene Award Ceremony! A reminder to all friends and family to book tickets now through ticketmaster.co.nz to come and show your support!

Book tickets now!

SGCNZ Competitions

Let your imaginary forces work…and enter in SGCNZ’s competitions!

In association with SGCNZ’s annual Festivals, there are six nationwide competitions. These are an opportunity to try something new and stretch your creative wings in the fields of art, music and design!

Scroll down for a detailed explanation about each of these competitions or download the entry forms below:

Entry forms for the 2023 competitions

SGCNZ/Dawn Sanders Shakespeare Costume Design Competition Entry Form

SGCNZ/ Morrison Music Trust Shakespeare Music Composition Competition Entry Form

SGCNZ/ Adam Foundation Shakespeare Static Image and Poster Competition Entry Form

SGCNZ/ Adam Foundation Shakespeare Video Title Card Competition Entry Form

SGCNZ/ Ida Gaskin Shakespeare Essay Competition With English At Otago Entry Form

All finalists win monetary prizes, presented at SGCNZ National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival Award Ceremony on the Sunday of King’s Birthday weekend at 7.00pm, the opportunity to attend workshops on at the National Festival – and more…! All competitions have NCEA assessable components and Costume and Static Image winners have their work exhibited in the Globe Exhibition in Shakespeare’s Globe, London, for approx 6 weeks. Te Kura, homeschool, and youth community drama group students are also welcome to enter any of these competitions.

All entrants must be a SGCNZ Friend– either personally or through their school or Home School cluster.

“I met a completely different challenge as a musician than as an actor. I had to write to serious deadlines – in some instances being given requests by the directors the morning of the performance! I had to write without the usual computer software with which I compose, having to spin music out of thin air. And I had limited means with which to work – other than the odd multi-talented actor who could sing or play the guitar, I would have to play everything myself, bearing in mind the equipment I could lay my hands on. These factors considered, the task at hand had elements of impossibility streaked all throughout it; but the job simply had to be done. And somehow, I did it. This gave me huge confidence in my personal capabilities as a musician, as I succeeded in my brief .” – Celeste Oram, 2007 Supreme Winner of the Music Composition Competition, who was therefore also selected for SGCNZ National Shakespeare Schools Production as Student Composer.

2017 Competition Finalists on display at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

SGCNZ Competitions 2021

We had an amazing array of Competition Entries this year – experience them for yourself in this spectacular video by Kelsey of Glass Gecko Films.

So many of the 2021 Competition Finalists joined us in Wellington for the National Festival this year! From participating in Workshops to being inspired by their fellow student’s performances the National Festival is full of exciting opportunities for our Allied Competition students too!

Prizes for the 2021 competitions
The Prize winners were announced on Sunday evening at the Michael Fowler Centre by Hon Grant Robertson, for the full list of winners please click here.

“I got the privilege to act as the Student Costumier for all three plays performed [at NSSP], and although my placement in the group was to construct and design the costumes, the spirit and passion from the team of actors, made me feel comfortable and encouraged to get involved with the acting and performing side of the production workshops. My relationship with the directors blossomed all throughout the week, we all both bounced off each other with ideas and firm creative collaboration was sustained. I loved working with them as they always encouraged my sometimes unusual ideas, and gave me the time to reflect on the development process of the costumes whenever necessary. I was overjoyed with the finished product with all the costume in all plays, I realised all the late nights and scrounging for materials had paid off!” – Duncan Lamont Brown, 2009 SGCNZ/Bernina Shakespeare Costume Design Competition Supreme Winner.

Ministry of Youth Development Survey

Participant Feedback link

We are asking all participants in SGCNZ’s activities – SGCNZ UOSWSF, SGCNZ NSSP, SGCNZ YSC, SGCNZ Dance Nimble Soles, SGCNZ PPWS and Competitions between 12 and 24 years old to complete this survey from the Ministry of Youth Development.

Funding from this source is contingent on us having at least 1500 people respond about their experience of being involved (in whatever way – acting, directing, designing, mentoring, crew, front of house, MCs, Assessors…). From the age range, it is clear that it is not just those still at school.

Any queries about this, please contact Dawn Sanders, dawn@sgcnz.org.nz M: 027 283 6016 P: 04 384 1300

SGCNZ/DAWN SANDERS SHAKESPEARE COSTUME DESIGN COMPETITION

Design for Shakespeare!

A wonderful chance to win a monetary prize and have your costume displayed at Shakespeare’s Globe, London, for 6 weeks as well as in New Zealand. Not only do Juliets, Titanias, Hamlets and Pucks feature amongst the entries for the SGCNZ Shakespeare Costume Design Competition, but there are a growing number of designs for lesser known characters from Shakespeare’s plays, such as Peaseblossom, Doll Tearsheet, Tamora, Timon…

Entries should include concept and development drawings, rationale for your choices and a budget of up to $200. Thanks to our new sponsors Nicole Barker and Tessa Ratcliffe, the limit of expenditure on each costume has been increased. This allows for more creativity.

Our suggestions for costumes include: Mercutio and Tybalt from Romeo & Juliet; Malvolio from Twelfth Night; Falstaff from The Merry Wives of Windsor; Iago and Othello from Othello; Hamlet, Ghost of Hamlet’s Father, Queen Gertrude and King Claudius from Hamlet; Witches from Macbeth; Antony from Antony and Cleopatra; Prospero and Caliban from The Tempest; King Lear from King Lear; Shylock from The Merchant of Venice; Pyramus, Thisbe and Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing; the queen in Cymbeline; and various kings from the History plays.

The Supreme Winner also has the opportunity of attending SGCNZ’s National Shakespeare Schools Production as the Student Costumier and is eligible for selection as a member of SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company to represent NZ at the Globe. (Standard fees apply for both.)

With special thanks to Nicole Barker and Tessa Ratcliffe.