Get the know the bright, diverse and pioneering 2019 Holman Prize finalists.
James Holman
Meet the 2019 Semifinalists
Read about our 41 Semifinalists and dive into their pitch videos on our YouTube playlist.
Trevor Hahn
Trevor is a rock climber, snowboarder, and mountaineer. He would use the Holman Prize to team up blind civilians and wounded veterans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and connect with disabled children in Tanzania.
Peggy Martinez
Peggy is a musician. She would use the Holman Prize to explore the music scene in various cities across the world, evaluate accessibly of the locations, and log the experience on social media.
Matthew Shifrin
Matthew plays the accordion. With the Holman Prize, he would create Blind Guy Travels, an immersive 3D audio podcast that allows listeners to experience different locations worldwide through sound.
Pauline Dowell
Pauline and her guide dog live on a sailboat on the Boston Harbor. She would use the Holman Prize to form an all-female crew of blind sailors to compete in the 2020 Newport to Bermuda Race.
Note: Originally, Pauline was going to complete in the Marblehead to Halifax Race. Since this will will not take place again until 2021, she has changed it to the more difficult Newport to Bermuda Race.
Rachel Magario
Rachel, a seasoned traveler and video blogger, would use the Holman Prize to retrace the footsteps of James Holman’s first travels across Europe, for a video series called “In the Footsteps.”