Sing it, recite it... you could be a fair dinkum legend

The Australia Day Council of NSW is calling on all Australians to get creative with the lingo of the land Down Under and enter the Straya's Slang Legend competition, a chance to showcase Aussie creativity and larrikinism via a national video campaign.

The campaign encourages people to have some fun with the Aussie jocular sense of humour and unique dialect. It builds on the success of The Aussie Slang Dictionary, the most visited section of the Australia Day website, which includes more than 430 Aussie slang words and phrases.

Everyone is encouraged to have a crack at the competition. It doesn't matter if you've lived in Australia your whole life (in the big smoke or the middle of Woop Woop) - or just landed on these sunny shores.

Shortlisted 60-second video performances of an original song, poem or rap using slang from the Aussie Slang Dictionary will be judged by a celebrity panel including Australia Day creative director John Foreman, singer-songwriter Dami Im, TV personality and Australia Day ambassador Catriona Rowntree and Australia Day Live broadcast host Jeremy Fernandez.

The overall winner's prize is a four-night P&O cruise for four people, departing from any Australian port (can be used in 2022 or 2023).

"We invite you to write and perform your own Aussie slang piece that will feature on the Australia Day website and social media," Mr Foreman said. "If your clip is a pearler, it may even make it into our Australia Day national broadcast.

"Aussie humour helps us navigate challenging times and our unique lingo most certainly sets us apart from the rest of the world. Have a look at the Aussie Dictionary and have a laugh."

A number of Aussie celebrities, including Casey Donovan and Darren Coggan, have put together their own Strayan ditties to get you motivated.

Dami Im, who came to Australia from Korea at the age of seven, she says she is still learning and laughing at Aussie slang phrases.

"To think 'Bee's Knees' means something of high quality, is hilarious," she said. "And driving to 'woop woop' means a long way away. It's true, Aussie slang can be seriously confusing to foreigners or newbies, but it's a fun learning curve getting your head around our unique dialect and bonding with others over a laugh."

After 25 years' travelling the world with Getaway and marrying a true blue Aussie farmer, Catriona Rowntree has learnt a lot of Aussie phrases and appreciates the unique role of slang in the local vernacular.

"Australian lingo is fantastic and funny - and the more rural you go, the stronger the slang gets," she said. "As a city chick who married a country boy, I needed a whole new dictionary when we first started dating.

"No matter where I've travelled around Australia and the world, our Aussie lingo always gets a giggle. It's time to have a good belly laugh - so get cracking on your masterpiece."

TV presenter and Australia Day Live broadcast host Jeremy Ferandez is looking forward to seeing the slang creations entered.

"To me, Aussie slang is like an embrace, an unadorned truth, or verbal shortcut - wrapped in a mysterious code," he said.

"I was a child when my family moved to Australia, and I remember wondering if I'd ever get the hang of 'sounding' Australian - if I could never grasp Aussie slang."

Start by clicking HERE and then choose a few "choice" words and phrases from the Aussie Slang Dictionary

Turn them into an original song, rap or poem that's 60 seconds or less and film yourself performing it. Make sure it's a solo effort as group entries are not permitted. Feel free to dress up or pull in a few props to liven up your entry.

Make sure your song, poem or rap is your own work and only contains your own original non-copyright music or no music at all. (Keep it family friendly)

If you're struggling to carry a tune, you can always strum on a guitar or tinker on a keyboard for some background original/non-copyright music to the awesome lyrics you've written.

Can't sing or write a song? Don't worry. You can perform a poem or an ode. It's how you use the slang from the Australia Day Aussie Slang Dictionary that really matters.

Once you've created your video entry, upload it to the website and fill out the entry form (read the Terms and Conditions). As long as your video is within the guidelines it should appear in the competition gallery within two working days for all to view and share.

The competition runs until January 5, 2022. Up to 15 of the most creative entries that use original content, words from the Aussie Slang Dictionary and tie it all together in a dinky-di Aussie way, will be shortlisted.

The overall winner will be announced at www.australiaday.com.au and on the Australia Day Facebook page on January 21 at 5pm.