Braille Challenge

What’s Your Favorite Part of the Braille Challenge?

Saturday, February 14, 2026
at the Iowa Department for the Blind
524 4th Street, Des Moines

What is the Braille Challenge?

The Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind in North America for students who are blind or visually impaired. Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and hone their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success.

Any blind or visually impaired student in grades 1 – 12 who can read and write braille is eligible to participate in the Braille Challenge. All Contestants are divided into five categories and tested on fundamental braille skills such as reading comprehension, spelling, speed and accuracy, proofreading, and charts and graphs.

All students can compete in the preliminary Braille Challenge events, which are held from January through the end of March throughout the United States and Canada, but only the top 50 students (10 in each category) with the highest scores are invited to Los Angeles for the final round – two days of competition, camaraderie and fun!

Contest Age Groups

• Apprentice—1st and 2nd grades
• Freshman—3rd and 4th grades
• Sophomore—5th and 6th grades
• Junior Varsity—7th, 8th and 9th grades
• Varsity—10th, 11th and 12th grades
• Foundational – Students at any grade level, including Preschool and Kindergarten
  • Fundamental (Ages 3-7) – These materials are designed for young braille learners and focus on pre-braille skills. The goal is to build a love for literacy while introducing the braille cell through play and multi-sensory experiences. Activities are centered on fundamental skills like recognizing shapes and basic letter recognition.
  • Introductory (Ages 8-12) – At this level, materials include building basic words, spelling, tactile images, and age-appropriate comprehension skills.
  • Primary (Ages 13-end of high school) – These materials include basic charts & graphs, spelling, and age-appropriate comprehension skills.

For more information check out information from the Braille Institute.

Saturday, February 14, 2026
at the Iowa Department for the Blind
524 4th Street, Des Moines

Agenda for the Day – Coming Soon!

Letter to Parents/Guardians – Coming Soon!

More information coming soon!

Have you heard of the Braille Challenge, Maybe song?

It is a fun and empowering adaptation of “Call Me, Maybe” with lyrics by Caitlin Hernandez, written specifically for young braille users.

Challenge, Maybe

Lyrics, Vocals and Arrangement By Caitlin Hernandez (2013)

VERSE 1

My heart is beating so fast,
Already having a blast,
Each year is better than last,
And I am in the zone.
It’s almost time to begin,
I roll my first paper in
And I am starting to grin
‘Cause we are on our way.

PRE-CHORUS:

They say it’s time and
Bells ring, fingers fly and
Braillers shake the tables:
We just caused a braille earthquake!

CHORUS:

Hey, I just got here,
And this is crazy;
We all love Braille,
So now we’re racing.
We’ll spell some tricky words
And then we’ll proofread,
And we’re enjoying
This Challenge, maybe.

Hey, what is your name?
You’re from what city?
The fun we’re having
Is just beginning.
We’re on the same page,
We’ve been there, done that.
There’s understanding
Right off the bat.

VERSE 2

There’s Speed and Accuracy,
And passages we must read,
And graphs about everything,
Gosh—we’ll be here all day.
And by the time that we’re done,
Our hands are pretty much numb,
But we’re so glad that we’ve come
‘Cause there’s so much to say.

PRE-CHORUS:

We’ve aced the testing,
There’s no time for resting.
Soon we’ll all be texting,
‘Til we’re back against next summer.

CHORUS:

Hey, I just met you,
And this is crazy,
But we both love braille,
So we’re friends already.
Let’s talk technology,
Let’s share our stories,
While we’re all here for
This Challenge, maybe.

No, we’re not here to
Win a contest;
We’re here because we
Have tried our hardest.
And all the sighted kids,
Well, they can’t read this,
But we know braille,
We’re undefeated.

BRIDGE:

We read our braille books in bed
We stay up all night,
We don’t need any light;
They think we’re sleeping tight.
And sometimes we goof off in class
‘Cause on our BrailleNotes
Our teachers won’t know
The silly things we wrote.
Challenge, maybe.

CHORUS:

I love my time here
And I am glad we
All met each other …
It’s so amazing.
I’ll never give up!
Get out of my way!
My future will be
Whatever I say!

I’ll braille up a storm,
I’ll see you soon when
We all come back for
This Challenge, maybe.

CHORUS:

We read our braille books in bed,
We stay up all night,
We don’t need any light;
They think we’re sleeping tight.
I wait for Challenge all year long
To be with my friends.
I hope this never ends …
This Challenge, maybe.

Congratulations to Aria Murray! She will be competing as a finalist in the National Braille Challenge competition in June on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles!

2025 Iowa Regional Braille Challenge

Award Winners

Congratulations to all of our Braille Challenge award winners and participants!

Rookie Group
1st Place: Lincoln C.
2nd Place: Realyn M.
3rd Place: Randy P.

Apprentice Group
1st Place: Aria M.

Freshman Group
1st Place:  Jasmine M.

Sophomore Group
1st Place: Khanh T.

Junior Varsity Group
1st Place:  Jordyn R.
2nd Place: Jordan J.

Varsity Group
1st Place: Jalyn D.
2nd Place: Kayla B.
3rd Place: Zachary N.