Justin, a bodybuilder and video blogger, would use the Holman Prize to travel the world and engage with blind and low-vision communities, encouraging them to get involved in adventures and athletic activities.
2018 Semifinalists
Read about each of our 42 Semifinalists and dive into all their pitch videos on our YouTube playlist.
Marco Salsiccia
Marco, an accessibility specialist and self-proclaimed “hockey nut,” would use the Holman Prize to travel for a full year with the San Jose Sharks hockey team, attending at least one game at each arena, in order to assess the accessibility of each rink and promote hockey to blind and visually-impaired athletes.
Zahra B. Majid
Zahra, who is currently pursuing a degree in media studies, would use the Holman Prize to travel and meet with visually impaired students around the world, in countries including Canada, the United States and Scandinavia, in order to gather a wealth of information for a database project she is calling VIAdvisor.
Joshua Pearson
Joshua, an accessibility specialist and folk singer, would use the Holman Prize to record under-the-radar musicians around the world, in countries including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Vietnam and more.
Michael McCulloch
Michael, a retired aerospace engineer, would use the Holman Prize to produce an audio described documentary film about his upcoming hiking trek to Machu Pichu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. He would also write a book entitled “The Blind Man’s Guide to Machu Picchu,” containing hiking instruction, tips and more.
Nicole Schultz-Kass
Nicole, a vocational rehabilitation counselor and YouTube blogger, would use the Holman Prize to interview and adventure with blind and low-vision people in 25 different locations around the United States, compiling the experiences on her YouTube channel, “CraftyBlindChick.”
Edward Babin
Edward, a songwriter, producer and entrepreneur who performs as Eddy Echo, would use the Holman Prize to organize a showcase for blind and visually impaired musicians in New York City.
Divyanshu Ganatra
Divyanshu, an entrepreneur and avid paraglider, would use the Holman Prize to facilitate mountaineering, rock climbing, scuba diving, paragliding and more for both his visually-impaired and sighted peers, with the hope of creating a larger dialogue around disability.
Zeljko Bajic
Zeljko, a radio producer and host, would use the Holman Prize to create a podcast “for and about blind people living all over the world.”
Red Szell, UK
Red, a writer and broadcaster, would use the Holman Prize to undertake an extreme sports triathlon to conquer Am Buachaille, one of the most remote rock pinnacles in the UK.
Red is a 2018 Prizewinner! Read his story on the LightHouse blog.