2011 NFB Braille Readers are Leaders Contest

Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest
November 1, 2011–January 4, 2012

The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) are pleased to announce the 29th annual Braille Readers Are Leaders contest for students grades K-12. This contest encourages children around the country to be proud of their ability to read Braille and continually work to improve their skills. As in previous years students will read as many Braille pages as they can in two months (November 1, 2011, through January 4, 2012) to compete for ribbons, cash prizes, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 NFB national convention in Dallas, Texas.

For the third year NAPUB and the NFB Jernigan Institute are also offering a contest for mature Braille readers. Adults will compete for cash prizes, national recognition, and bragging rights!

Teams of two to five participants are welcome to compete in both the K-12 and adult contests again this year. Registration begins October 1, 2011. Form your teams, get some interesting reading material, and warm up your fingers! For detailed information about the K-12 and adult contests please visit www.nfb.org/BRAL .


Seven Simple Steps

1. Register: fill out the simple online form at www.nfb.org/BRAL to enter the contest.
2. Gather: collect leisure reading material (books, magazines, and whatever else you enjoy reading that has a title, author, and date of publication).
3. Log it: download the reading log at www.nfb.org/BRAL. Save it where you will be able to access it easily, or print it and keep a hard copy log.
4. Read: put your fingers to the paper.
5. Leader Board: update your “Pages Read” on the Leader Board to compete for additional prizes.
6. Letters: contestants competing for a special award in the K-12 contest must submit at least one letter of recommendation for each award.
7. Turn it in: submit your reading log, special award documentation, and final entry form no later than January 18, 2012, at www.nfb.org/BRAL.
Mark your calendar with the important dates below.


Important Dates
· October 1, 2011: registration for the contest opens and continues through the end of the contest.
· November 1, 2011: contest begins, and participants start tracking their reading.
· January 4, 2012: Louis Braille’s birthday marks the end of the contest and the last day participants can count their pages.
· January 18, 2012: all documentation for the regular contest and special awards must be submitted to the NFB Jernigan Institute by midnight. This includes reading logs, letters of nomination, and final entry forms.
· March 2012: prizes are mailed out.

Paper forms may be downloaded via www.nfb.org/BRAL or requested by e-mail, mail, telephone, or fax from:
BrailleReadersAreLeaders@nfb.org, or
Braille Readers Are Leaders
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: (410) 659-9314, extension 2312
Fax: (410) 659-5129




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