Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students are encouraged to enter two creative competitions for cash prizes offered by Rochester Institute of Technology.

The first contest is the RIT Digital Arts, Film and Animation Competition for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. Qualified students in ninth through 12th grades may submit up to two entries (one per category) from the following: Web design, graphic media, film, 3-D animation, interactive media and photo illustration.

To qualify, students must submit an entry form; a 150- to 300-word descriptive essay about their work and the artwork itself on CD or DVD.

Winners will receive cash prizes at an awards ceremony in the spring and have their winning work exhibited in the Dyer Arts Center on the RIT campus. For an entry form or more information, visit www.rit.edu/NTID/ArtsNR. The deadline to register is Jan. 15.

The second competition is RIT’s SpiRIT Writing Contest for deaf or hard of hearing students in the 10th, 11th or 12th grade. Students can win their choice of a scholarship and travel expenses to the Explore Your Future program at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or a $500 cash prize.

EYF is a six-day summer career exploration program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that gives them the opportunity to sample different careers as well as college life.

Complete contest guidelines and entry information are available at www.rit.edu/NTID/WritingContestNR. The deadline to enter is March 15.

For more information about either competition, call (585) 475-7695 (voice/TTY) or (585) 286-4555 (videophone).

RIT is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, sustainability and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. RIT enrolls 17,000 full- and part-time students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.