NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2026 – 'Create Your Own Zookeeper Talk' entry form

Students in Stage 2 and Stage 3 (Years 3–6) who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge are invited to participate in the competition.

Entries must be submitted by a teacher, teacher librarian, or PRC coordinator on behalf of the student’s school.

Homeschool entries must be submitted by the parent/carer.

Students are invited to participate in the Create Your Own Zookeeper Talk creative challenge.

Students will research, create and record a short (max. 2:30) zookeeper talk about an animal of their choosing, and may use the provided Canva resource kit to assist them: Kristin Darell resource kit 

Imagine you are a zookeeper at Taronga Zoo, introducing your favourite animal to a crowd. What would you say? What interesting facts would you share?

Students must present their talk as a video recording.

Use the online entry form below – make sure your share link to your video file is ready when you enter!

When submitting your video, you will need to provide a link to the file via a file or video sharing platform. Some examples are:

• Google Drive
• YouTube (unlisted)
• Vimeo (private)

Please refer to the guide on submitting your video to get a shareable link.

The competition

Students in Stage 2 and Stage 3 (Years 3–6) who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge are invited to participate.

Students must:

• research an animal of their choosing
• write a short zookeeper talk
• record and submit their talk as a video.

The entries will be judged in two grade range categories:

• Stage 2 (Years 3–4)
• Stage 3 (Years 5–6).

Entries must be from individual students and must be the entrant’s original work. Entries must be submitted by a teacher. 

Zookeeper talk requirements

To be eligible, entries must meet the following requirements:

• The talk must be about a real animal, reptile, or insect.
• The talk must be no longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
• The talk must be the student’s own original work.
• Students may use props, such as a toy or image of the animal.
• Students must have parent/carer permission to enter.

How to enter

Entries must be submitted through the official online submission form.

The submitting teacher, PRC coordinator or parent/guardian must:

• provide the required contact details
• confirm that the entry complies with these Terms and Conditions
• confirm that the student has parent/carer permission to participate
• ensure that the school’s principal is aware of the entry before submission.

Only one entry per student is permitted.

Video submissions must:

• be uploaded via the submission form
• have access revoked or removed during the judging period
• be appropriate to the theme of the competition.

Eligible entries

Only work submitted by NSW students in Years 3–6, who are registered for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, is eligible.

Entries must:

• be the original work of the student
• demonstrate research and understanding of the chosen animal
• comply with the time limit of 2 minutes and 30 seconds
• comply with these Terms and Conditions.

Entries must not include:

• material that infringes copyright
• content that is offensive, inappropriate, or unlawful
• the image or voice of another person without consent
• content created wholly or partially using generative artificial intelligence.

The NSW Department of Education reserves the right to verify the originality of submissions.

Judging

Entries will be judged by a panel selected by the NSW Department of Education.

Entries will be assessed on:

• accuracy and quality of research
• engagement and presentation style
• clarity and structure of the talk
• creativity and audience appeal
• effective communication of interesting facts.

Judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Prizes

Five finalists will each receive:

• a signed copy of the Taronga Presents series by Kristin Darell
• a certificate from the NSW Department of Education.

One overall winner will receive:

• a class visit to either Taronga Zoo or Taronga Western Plains Zoo
• a Zoo Education session
• the opportunity to present their zookeeper talk at the zoo.

Important: Travel to and from the zoo is not included. Schools are responsible for arranging and funding transport.

The Department reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or lesser value if required.

Conditions

Entries open Monday 20 April 2026 and close 5pm Friday 17 October 2026 after which judging will take place and winners and finalists will be announced.

A parent/guardian/teacher is required to take full responsibility on behalf of the entrant for the content of the entry and for ensuring that the entry complies with these Conditions of Entry. For the purposes of these content requirements, ‘entry content’ includes any content (including text, photos, images and videos) that entrants submit, upload, transmit, publish, communicate or use in connection with their entry into the competition.

The NSW Department of Education (‘the Department’) reserves the right to verify, or to require the entrant and/or the entrant’s parent/guardian/teacher to verify, that the entry is the entrant’s original work. If an entry cannot be verified to the Department’s satisfaction, the entry will be deemed invalid. An entrant’s entry must not include:

(a) any image or voice of any other person without that person’s express consent. The parent/guardian/teacher warrants on behalf of the entrant that if any such content is included, they have obtained the express consent of the relevant person;

(b) any content that contravenes any law, infringes the rights of any person or is potentially insulting, inflammatory, defamatory, obscene, offensive, discriminatory, indecent or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate (which includes, without limitation, any content involving nudity, malice, excessive violence or swearing);

(c) any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, any audio-visual or sound recording, or any other item in which copyright subsists, unless the entrant is entitled to do so. If there is any doubt about whether an entrant has the right to include any content (for example, recorded music) it must not be included; and

(d) content, either partially or wholly, created by generative artificial intelligence.

The Department reserves the right to disqualify a winner if the Department becomes aware that the winner and/or the winner’s entry includes content as described above.

Any entry that is found to be not the original work of the entrant will be invalid, unless the entrant requires the assistance of a third party to enter due to a disability.

The Department collects personal information about entrants for the purposes of conducting this competition but no further use of this information will be made without prior consent.

The Department will select a number of entries to appear in print, online and social media promotions of the competition, and to share with the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, ePlatform and the Primary English Teachers Association of Australia. Promotion of an entry during the course of the Competition will not indicate that the entry shared is a finalist in the Competition.

The Department will seek consent from selected entrants, including the winning entrant, and their parent/guardian to publish the entry content as well as the name, likeness, image and/or voice of the selected entrant in promotion of the competition by the Department and the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Entrants and their parents/guardians should be aware that, when information is published on public websites and social media channels, it can be discoverable online for a number of years, and may be linked to by third parties.

The Department may, in its absolute discretion, edit, modify, delete, remove or take-down any part of an entry which the Department or the supporters and partners of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, ePlatform and the Primary English Teachers Association of Australia.