NCBI are inviting budding writers with vision impairments to tell their story about the importance of Braille to their everyday life in the 2009 Braille Essay Competition. There are fabulous prizes to be won. The first prize amounts to $2,000 and there are also prizes of $1,000 and $500 in both junior and senior categories. So get writing.

NCBI are promoting the European Braille Essay Competition run by the European Blind Union on behalf of Onkyo Co. Ltd. and Tenji Mainichi. The aim of the competition is to promote the use of Braille as a key to blind people’s access to information and to their social inclusion.

The competition theme is the same as last years “Braille literacy changes my way of life” however, authors are invited to give the theme their own imaginative interpretation, bearing in mind that 2009 marks the 200th birthday of Louis Braille.

The essay should not exceed 1000 words. Candidates may not submit more than one essay. The competition is open to all ages and 5 essays will be selected by NCBI to represent Ireland in the competition. The winners will then go into the hat for final consideration by the European Blind Union. The winners will be announced in September.

Candidates should send their works to NCBI’s Head Office, Whitworth Road, Drumcondra Dublin 9 by 30 April.

For further information, please contact Rebecca Curtis on 01 864 2266 or rebecca.curtis@ncbi.ie