Entries are closed for the 2025 Plain Language Awards

Entries closed in August for the 2025 Plain Language Awards.

We announce winners in each category on 30 October at our Awards ceremony at Parliament.

Find out who the finalists are 

Find out more about the Awards ceremony and how to join us

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, newsletter, or video gallery. We’d love to share your plain language success with other lovers of clarity.

Find out about the terms for entering and the process for judging

Here are a few links to all you need to know about entering the Plain Language Awards.

You’ll find out:

• the general terms and conditions of entering the Awards
• how the judging process works
• the plain language criteria that judges use
• what types of user-testing judges look for in an entry.

Read our terms and conditions

How the judging process works

Plain language criteria for documents and websites

What types of user-testing do judges look for?

Choose from 13 categories

Select your chosen category below, read the requirements, then click the Submittable button to find the entry forms.

Plain Language Champion — Best Organisation

Plain Language Champion — Best Individual or Team

Best Plain Language Document — Public Sector

Best Plain Language Document — Private Sector

Best Plain Language Website — Public Sector

Best Plain Language Website — Private Sector

Best Plain Language Sentence Transformation

Best Plain Language Annual Report

Best Plain Language Legal Document

Best Plain Language Technical Communicator

Best Plain Language Turnaround

People’s Choice — Best Plain Language Communication

People’s Choice — Worst Brainstrain Communication

Please email enquiries@plainlanguageawards.org.nz if you have any questions.