Young New Zealanders are being encouraged to pick up a camera and make the most of summer by making a short film on what it means to be a young person in New Zealand today.

The Ministry of Youth Development is running ID360, a short film competition with the theme “Identity and Diversity”. The competition is open to all young New Zealanders aged 12-24 years, and will provide a means by which they can tell their story (maximum six minutes) – about who they are, where they live and what we do as a nation.

The competition opened on 10 December 2007 and entries close on 29 February 2008. The winners will be announced by the Minister of Youth Affairs and the Children’s Commissioner at an awards ceremony at the New Zealand Film Archive in April 2008.

Young people can enter in the 12-15 years, 16-18 years or 19-24 years age categories. Te Puni Kōkiri is sponsoring the prize for the winner of the 16-18 years age category. 

The successful short-listed films will be displayed on the ID360 website, where young people can vote for the People’s Choice Award.

The Ministry of Youth Development is running the competition as a way of contributing to one of the Government’s key themes, National Identity, by promoting a cohesive society where relations between diverse communities are strong and valued.

So get filming to be in to win great prizes! For more information about ID360, including competition rules, a toolkit on how to make a short film, and also film ideas, go to the ID360 website: www.ID360.govt.nz.