Let’s celebrate New Zealand’s and Australia’s clearest communicators
Entries are open for the 2025 Plain Language Awards.
If you’ve been saving your entries since our break last year, 2025 is your time to shine. Dust them off and show us how you’re helping people live their lives well with clear information.
You can enter anything from the last couple of years in the 2025 Plain Language Awards. Entries close 31 July.
Winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on 30 October at Parliament.
Read the entry requirements for each category
Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with Awards news. And get in touch if you’d like to contribute to our blog or newsletter. We’d love to share your plain language success with other lovers of clarity.
Do you have a story to share about your passion for plain language? Or maybe about a project you’re currently working on? We love to hear your stories, so our gallery is open year-round for you to upload your videos. Let’s share the love and celebrate your hard work!
Share your plain language story
View stories of plain language in our gallery
Nominations for People’s Choice categories are open all year round. So if you’ve seen a great example of plain language out there in the wild, or even a gnarly one, nominate it for the 2025 Awards!
Make a nomination for a People’s Choice award
We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch at enquiries@plainlanguageawards.org.nz
The Best Communication award honours an outstanding example of a plain language document or webpage nominated by a member of the public
The Brainstrain award reveals, in good humour, the document or webpage most notable for confusing and dumbfounding its target audience
Winner: Talking Trouble Aotearoa NZ team
Finalist: Digital and Customer Experience Team, Auckland Council
Winner: Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission
Finalist: Ministry of Social Development
Finalist: DI4OL project team, Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga / Ministry of Education
Winner: AA Insurance
Finalist: Simplicity NZ Ltd
Finalist: Stronger Schools, Streamliners
Winner: Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand
Finalist: Ministry of Social Development
Winner: Kate Sumner, Auckland Council
Finalist: Kate Sumner, Auckland Council
Finalist: Michel Mathew, Auckland Council
Winner: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Finalist: Westpac New Zealand Staff Superannuation Scheme
Finalist: National Trauma Network
Winner: Helen Bradford, Capire
Finalist: Mercedes Glover, Fusion5
Finalist: Sarah Bichan, Streamliners
Winner: New Zealand Parole Board
Finalist: Manaaki Tāngata / Victim Support New Zealand
Finalist: Service Delivery Communications, Ministry of Social Development
Winner: Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand
Finalist: Cogo
Finalist: Powershop
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© WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust. All rights reserved. 2025