Ness is finishing up her degree in journalism. She would use the Holman Prize to open a braille bookstore in Perth, for blind and Deafblind people to have easy access to hard copy braille books.
Australia
Sally Aurisch
Sally loves traveling and water sports. With the Holman Prize, she would volunteer with different community organizations in Southeast Asia, to learn how the blind populations are served in those countries. She would take this knowledge back home to help diverse communities in Australia.
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.
Matt Formston
Matt, a longtime surfer, would use the Holman Prize to teach his blind and low-vision community how to become surfers themselves and to “share the feeling of freedom” that surfing can provide.
Maxwell Ivey
Maxwell, a motivational speaker and writer, would use the Holman Prize to travel the world – including stops in China, Mexico and Australia – and conduct motivational workshops, savoring local attractions along the way.
Sharyl Brockett
Sharyl, who is pursuing a postgraduate degree in counseling, would use the Holman Prize to produce a reality TV program in which bosses of large corporations experience simulated blindness.