Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Application Period: OPEN

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Through the annual Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Optimist Club of Anchorage, Alaska is encouraging students to express themselves using either speech or sign language to expand on the thought, “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times" - School Year 2024-2025.

Each year the Optimist Club of Anchorage, Alaska conducts the contest to give students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing an opportunity to present their ideas to an audience and better prepare themselves for the future. 

This is a wonderful opportunity for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing to present their ideas to the community.

The Optimist Club will judge participants based on content and presentation and will award a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medallion, and the 1st and 2nd place winners will go on to compete on the District Level competitions for a $2,500, $1,500, and a $1,000 scholarship.

The contest is open to young people through grade 12 in the United States and Canada, to CEGEP in Québec and grade 13 in the Caribbean, who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. Students must submit the results of an audiogram completed no longer than 24 months prior to the date of the contest by a qualified audiologist. Students must be certified to have an uncorrected hearing loss of 40 decibels or more, which must be supported by the audiogram in order to be eligible to compete. Students with permanent correction should compete in the Optimist International Oratorical contest.

Students wishing to participate in the contest can find out more about the contest by contacting the club at scholarships@anchorageoptimists.org

The Optimist Club of Anchorage, Alaska has been participating in the Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since the Club’s Charter and has been active in the community.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. Each year, around 300 Optimist Clubs participate in the Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Carrying the motto “Bringing Out the Best in Youth, in our Communities, and in Ourselves,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please visit our Join Us Page.

DEADLINE: January 31, 2025

Eligibility: The contest is open to young people through grade 12 in the United States and Canada, to CEGEP in Québec and grade 13 in the Caribbean, who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. Students must submit the results of an audiogram completed no longer than 24 months prior to the date of the contest by a qualified audiologist. Students must be certified to have an uncorrected hearing loss of 40 decibels or more, which must be supported by the audiogram in order to be eligible to compete. Students with permanent correction should compete in the Optimist International Oratorical contest.

How To Enter: Interested students must download the below application, fill it out completely, and send it into scholarships@anchorageoptimists.org.