Zackery is a musician and an entrepreneur. He would use the Holman Prize to develop Reference Point Navigation, which provides indoor and outdoor access to information and navigation on mobile phones that is accessible to blind people.
2019 Semifinalists
Read about our 41 Semifinalists and dive into their pitch videos on our YouTube playlist.
Larry Johnson
Larry has worked as a radio and television broadcaster in the United States and Mexico. He would use the Holman Prize to travel to Cuba to teach a motivational workshop in English and Spanish to empower blind people.
Lisamaria Martinez
Lisamaria has been active in sports all her life. Recently, she’s discovered pole dance. With the Holman Prize, she would use workshops, training and audio description to make pole dance accessible to blind people across the United States.
Kris Scheppe
Kris is the North American representative for Blind Sailing International. He would use the Holman Prize to form a crew of blind sailors to complete in the Race to Alaska, a 750-mile race from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska.
Craig Faris
Craig loves hiking, camping, traveling and sailing. With the Holman Prize, he would use assistive technology to aid him in sailing a 7000-mile course from North America to New Zealand.
Jesse Dufton
Jesse is an experienced winter mountaineer. With the Holman Prize, he would lead an expedition on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. If successful in ascending a peak that hasn’t been climbed, he would propose the peak be named “Blind Ambition”.
Krystle Allen
Krystle, who once advocated for people with disabilities in Tokyo, would use the Holman Prize to pay for fifteen blind women to participate in the Miss Blind Diva Empowerment Fellowship Program. This is a sixteen-week program that provides personal and professional development and ends with the Miss Blind Diva Empowerment Pageant.
Shawn Prak
Shawn has a passion for disassembling and reassembling electronics and building and repairing. With the Holman Prize, he would use his many skills to renovate his home.
Nicolas Dewalque
Nicolas is an athlete who hopes to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. With the Holman Prize, he would train and complete in the Coolangatta Gold race in Australia which involves kayaking, swimming, running and paddling a surfboard.
Stephanie Campbell
Stephanie is a newlywed whose wedding received media coverage when she requested her guests wear blindfolds during the vows. With the Holman Prize, Stephanie would film the pilot for a sensory travel show, that explores destinations non-visually through the senses of sound, smell, touch and taste. She would then shop this pilot to television executives with hopes for a series pickup.