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The Onkyo Braille Contest is a worldwide initiative planned and sponsored by
Onkyo and Mainichi, two Japanese firms actively engaged in the promotion of
Braille. Its European strand is run by the European Blind Union for the third
consecutive year. Applicants from across Europe were asked to write an Essay, sharing their personal experience to tell how braille empowers them and improves their lives. The contest has once again raised much interest amongst European braille users. 17 countries have taken part and contributed 56 essays altogether, which is even better than in 2008. The quality of the submitted essays was excellent and the jury had a hard job selecting the winners ! The first prize winner, shown on the photograph, is Norberto Inácio de Sousa from Portugal who described the braille system in the following terms : “You’ve filled me with pleasure, you’ve made me travel, you’ve given me something to read, you’ve taught me to fly, you’ve allowed me to enter the world of writing”. The seven winning essays are available in .doc format by clicking on the links in the list below.
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Otsuki First Prize : “Thank you braille writing!”, by Norberto Inácio de Sousa
(Portugal)
Excellent Works Prize : “How braille has changed my life”, by Linda Ammbrožova
(Czech Republic)
Excellent Works Prize : “Braille changes my way of life”, by Saleem Ur Rahman
(Ireland)
Fine Works Prize : “Braille literacy changes my life”, by Kvetoslava Holestakova
(Slovakia)
Fine Works Prize : “I feel under my fingers the World I admire”, by Bozidar
Denda (Montenegro)
Fine Works Prize : “A Touch, A Word”, by Çetin Aslan (Turkey)
Fine Works Prize : “Braille literacy changes my way of life”, Anna Barham
(United Kingdom)