RNID launch deaf awareness photography competition

Press Release:

RNID, the charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, are challenging photographers to imagine a world without sound and capture original, thought-provoking images of the sound they would most miss.

Launched as part of Deaf Awareness Week (5 – 11 May), the competition is open to both amateurs and semi-professionals. Winning images will be selected by a RNID judging panel that will include the award-winning photographer, Stuart Freedman and showcased in a commemorative book and on a special website.

The results of an RNID poll revealed that the voice of a loved one was the sound respondents would miss the most if they lost their hearing (28 per cent of the vote), followed closely by music (25 per cent) and laughter (18 per cent).

Gemma Bevan, event organiser at RNID, says: “We hope this competition will inspire photographers to capture original, provocative images of sounds we take for granted but would miss in a world without sound."

“Hearing loss can have a profound impact on people’s lives. By getting people to imagine a world without sound, we hope to encourage people to be more aware of their hearing.”

Photographers can enter online at the World Without Sound website until 15th August 2008.