RNID, the charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, has announced a photo competition in association with Deaf Awareness Week.

The competition challenges photographers to imagine a world without sound and capture original, thought-provoking images of the sound they would most miss.

The competition is open to both amateurs and semi-professionals. Winning images will be selected by the RNID judging panel and showcased in a commemorative book and on a special website.

Deaf Awareness Week runs from 5-11 May but photographers can enter online until 15 August 2008.

Gemma Bevan, event organiser at RNID, said: "We hope this competition will inspire photographers to capture original, provocative images of sounds we take for granted but would miss in a world without sound".

"Hearing loss can have a profound impact on people's lives. By getting people to imagine a world without sound, we hope to encourage people to be more aware of their hearing."

The results of an RNID poll revealed that the voice of a loved one was the sound respondents would miss the most if they lost their hearing (28%), which was followed closely by music (25%) and laughter (18%).

>> Link - RNID website