OfficeMax is encouraging Kiwi kids to put Sharpie to paper with the return of the Colour Your Classroom art competition, in the hope of discovering New Zealand’s next great animator.

Until the end of term three, students are urged to channel their imagination and artistic prowess to design and illustrate their very own cartoon character.

Participants will have the chance to win one of six classroom prize packs valued at $1,000 for their school, plus a Sharpie 24-Pack valued at $24.99 to add to their inventor's toolkit.

Colour Your Classroom launched in 2014, and last year’s art competition received more than 1,200 entries from children all over the country.

Sharpie National Account Manager and Colour Your Classroom judge, Mark Norling says they were wowed by the level of creativity in the entries they received in the last competition.

“Every great animator has to start somewhere. When Stan Lee created famous Marvel character, The Incredible Hulk, he was inspired by what human beings can accomplish when they are forced into action,” he said.

“We’re encouraging pupils to think about what inspires them, just like an inventor might do. Perhaps the character could be a superhero, or a person they admire.

“I’m excited to see what the budding artists out there come up with this time around – who knows, we might discover the next Walt Disney.”

Supported by leading stationery and office supplier OfficeMax, the winners will be selected from the top two entries from each of the primary, intermediate and high school divisions.

OfficeMax encourages teachers to tell their students about the competition and visit the Colour Your Classroom website for other educational resources, including free, downloadable lesson plans.