National awards honor people who create awareness and change perceptions of hearing loss
SOMERSET, NJ July 20 -- From healthcare professionals to essential workers to individuals supporting family, friends and communities during challenging times, 2020 has been a year of amazing people doing amazing things! That’s why this year’s Oticon Focus on People Awards have special relevance. The 2020 Oticon Focus on People Awards is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals with any degree of hearing loss who contribute to making the world a better place for all of us. The national awards program honors students, adults and advocacy volunteers whose accomplishments show that hearing loss does not limit a person’s ability to make a positive difference in their communities or the world.
Since 1997, this one-of-a-kind national awards competition has recognized nearly 300 outstanding people with hearing loss from across the US. By celebrating the achievements and contributions of people with hearing loss, Oticon aims to change negative perceptions of hearing loss and encourage people reluctant to address their own hearing health to seek professional care.
“Life-changing technology and the support of dedicated hearing care professionals open a world of possibilities for people with hearing loss, empowering them to achieve, contribute and excel,” said Nancy Palmere, Director of Consumer Marketing and Public Relations for Oticon, Inc., who heads the national program. “The Oticon Focus on People Awards honor the remarkable individuals who have turned those possibilities into realities to make the world a better place for all of us.”
Easy to Nominate
Anyone may nominate. Quick and easy nominations forms, available at www.Oticon.com/FOP, can be downloaded or completed online. People with all degrees of hearing loss – from mild to more severe - are eligible. There is also a special category for hearing care practitioners with or without hearing loss. Deadline for nominations is August 31, 2020.
Four Categories with Three Winners in Each
Categories include: Student, for full-time students with hearing loss, ages 6 – 25; Adult, for people with hearing loss, ages 21 and above; and Advocacy, for volunteers with hearing loss, who are actively involved in support efforts for the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. A special Practitioner category recognizes hearing care professionals who go “above and beyond” through humanitarian and public education efforts. Nominees in the Practitioner category are not required to have a hearing loss to qualify.
First place winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice. First place winners in the Student, Adult and Advocacy categories also receive Oticon BrainHearing™ hearing devices. Second place winners receive a $500 cash prize and third place winners, a $250 cash prize.
Following the close of nominations, the general public will be invited to vote online to determine first, second and third place winners in each category.
To learn more about the 2020 Oticon Focus on People Awards and to obtain a nomination form, visit www.Oticon.com/FOP.
