Nelida, who founded an organization called Survivors of Domestic Violence, would use the Holman Prize to help establish a home for the women her organization serves.
2018 Candidates
Johnny Tai
Johnny, a Martial Arts trainer, would use the Holman Prize to provide martial arts courses for the blind and visually-impaired community in his native Taiwan.
Kürşat Ceylan
Kürşat, who develops various technologies for the blind, would use the Holman Prize to build a piece of equipment, incorporating GPS and Bluetooth, that would enable a visually impaired person to ski independently.
Robert Jaquiss
Robert, a writer and tactile graphics expert, would use the Holman Prize to develop a tactile Model Lending Library of 3-D printed objects, intended to provide information that could not otherwise be conveyed through braille or speech.
Alieu Jaiteh
Alieu, the founder of the blindness advocacy organization Start Now, would use the Holman Prize to provide various skills, including computer literacy, cane travel and Braille, to blind and low-vision participants in rural Gambia.
Georgina Hollinshead
Georgina, who says she was “born a crafter,” would use the Holman Prize to launch a social enterprise called Hook and Eye Crafts, geared toward teaching blind and visually impaired people the joys of knitting, crochet and cross-stitch.
Nathan Gibbs
Nathan, a tech consultant and web developer, would use the Holman Prize to continue his “As Alexa Sees It” project, which is intended to make Amazon’s Echo technology even more useful for blind and low-vision consumers.
Anna Laura Gastaldi
Anna Laura, a high school student with a passion for foreign languages, would use the Holman Prize to complete her guide dog training in France.
Mary Mammoliti
Mary, a food blogger, would use the Holman Prize to compile a cookbook featuring recipes from blind and low-vision home cooks, chefs and foodies.
Kellsea Phillips
Kellsea, a passionate athlete and aspiring competitor in the TV show American Ninja Warrior, would use the Holman Prize to train for, and attend, more competitions and auditions for the show.