Mike's Musings: The Younger Force

In 2004, as one of the first Play It Strange songwriting competition kicked off across New Zealand, we calculated the average age of entrants. It was 16yrs.

What we did find was the quality of songwriting from the students in Years 9-11 was very wide and songs written by the likes of Kimbra and Annah Mac stood out in a marked fashion. We researched a number of students from the group and found that they generally felt a separate competition for the younger group would provide greater chances of a finalist place, and with that, winning a one day recording session in a professional studio. We pondered and ruminated – as you do – and decided:

“Yes. You are right!”

We worked on aiming for a separate fund that would finance songs scheduled as placegetters with recording sessions and pride of place on the relevant album. And so in 2020, the first Junior Songwriting Competition was launched for secondary students in the Years 9 – 11. 

In order to put a recording budget together we visited potential funders. We met with the Youthtown CEO Fay Amaral and the organisation enjoyed our proposal for a collaborative songwriting competition in the aforementioned youthful sector and it came to be. It was titled the Youthtown Songwriting Competition and partnership investment was provided to Play It Strange for recording costs.

The first Youthtown Competition was launched and songs started coming in… 63 songs flew in our direction. And we immediately saw the worth of the ‘Junior’ competition as songs with youthful and unique revelations broke the sophisticated angles so heavy in the mechanics of the older songwriters.

It was the simplistic yet worldly-wise songs that mirrored the youthful stance of those who wrote them. We mustn’t forget or bypass the collaborative efforts that some of these songs have. And, at times, a sensational palette of musical colour and a literal voice of revelation. All in all, not easy to do.

Entries for the 2025 Years 9-11 Junior Songwriting Competition have now closed, and our judges are deep in the deliberation stage. While we eagerly await the verdict on who made it to the finals this year, have a listen to some recent winners from 2024 and 2023: 

2024 First Place: 'He Can't Be Mine' by Breanna Osgood-Lloyd and Hinemaurea Wikitapu Waikari from Gisborne Girls High School

2023 First Place: 'Out Of My Mind' by Rachel Stevens Otumoetai College in Tauranga

You can listen to all 2024 finalists for the Junior Comp through this playlist: