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Lights, Camera, Description!

The American Council of the Blind’s Audio Description Project (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) are now accepting entries for BADIE, or the Benefits of Audio Description in Education, an essay contest for young people (ages 7 to 21) who are blind or have low vision. It’s a great chance for students to engage with accessible learning materials, unleash their inner film critic, and compete for fun prizes.

In past years, we have heard some amazing essays from some talented young film critics.

How Students Can Enter:

  1. Browse the free DCMP library at https://dcmp.org/.
  2. Watch any audio-described film (there are more than 6,000 educational titles to choose from!).
  3. Write an evaluation of the film’s audio description, commenting on the ways the audio description enhanced or detracted from your experience.
  4. Visit http://badiecontest.org to submit your entry. There you’ll also find guidelines and prize details, tips on writing a good review, and information about how audio description is created.

Categories:

  • Alternate Assessment – students with non-traditional matriculation records
  • Sophomore – ages 7–10
  • Junior – ages 11–15
  • Senior – ages 16 – 21

Deadline and Prizes:

  • The deadline for contest entries is February 11, 2024.
  • Winners will be notified by the end of March 2024.
  • There will be first, second, and third place winners in each category, as well as a grand prize winner who will be awarded an iPad mini and invited to read his/her essay at the American Council of the Blind’s national conference and convention in July 2024.
  • Teachers of first-place winners also receive prizes.  

Students need to go to http://badiecontest.org for complete details and to submit their entries!

Please pass this information along to any blind or low-vision students you know, or any teachers of the visually impaired you may know. We are looking forward to a record-breaking year for contest entries.