SOUTHWEST residents are urged to dress up and don their most outrageous shirts in a bid to be crowned 'Queensland's Loudest Town'.

Loud Shirt Day, the annual fundraiser that supports world-leading charity Hear and Say, has taken on a competitive edge this year, inviting Queensland towns with fewer than 15,000 people to battle it out for bragging rights as the state's most colourful and generous regional community.

Hear and Say CEO Chris McCarthy said the charity had been inspired to launch the hunt for Queensland's Loudest Town after several incredible fundraising efforts in recent years.

"From Tully and Gordonvale in the north to Dalby and Stanthorpe in the south, we are fortunate to have so many communities across Queensland that provide wonderful support to Hear and Say families,” Mr McCarthy said.

"This extends to residents breaking out their loudest shirts and reaching into their pockets each year to raise funds for our world-leading therapy and technology that enables children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and speak just like their hearing peers.”

To be held on Friday, October 18, the event invites people to raise vital funds by wearing their brightest shirts and making a commitment to get loud for children with hearing loss.

"Having seen so many towns come together for the Loud Shirt Day cause over the years, we have decided to up the ante in 2019 and find out which one deserves the title of Queensland's Loudest Town,” Mr McCarthy said.

Up to 180 children are born with hearing loss every year in Queensland, with the cost to support them averaging Hear and Say about $10,000 each year for up to six years.

"The money raised for Loud Shirt Day will go directly towards children who are impacted by hearing loss, with $100 alone enough to program the cochlear implant of one child,” Mr McCarthy said.

He said hearing loss affected about one in six Australians, a figure set to rise to a quarter by 2050.

The title of Queensland's Loudest Town will be awarded to the community that raises the most funds for Hear and Say, with the winning town to receive a framed 2019 Loud Shirt Day official shirt signed by rugby league legend Wally Lewis.

For more information about Loud Shirt Day or to register your event, visit www.loudshirtday.com.au.