Dennis worked as a teacher ranger with the National Park service. With the Holman Prize, he would create a podcast to highlight the specific sounds from various national park locations, which would help blind people learn about the natural world in an accessible way.
James, an artist and musician, would use the Holman Prize to travel to all 50 states, collecting short interviews for an app dedicated to hosting inspiring, encouraging and challenging content for blind people.
Poonam, a seasoned traveler, would use the Holman Prize to travel the world, including stops in Scandinavia, Germany and Hawai’i, USA, and learn about the cultures she encounters along the way.
Jean would use the Holman Prize to travel North America, creating small paintings and sketches that she will turn into larger pieces when she returns home. Jean would also create a video blog of her journey, to give her audience more insight into her process and challenges.
Michael would use the Holman Prize to train for a triathlon, which he would complete using a non-visual technique called Vibravision that would enable him to compete without the aid of technology or a sighted companion.
Kayla, an aspiring voice actress, would use the Holman Prize to build a home recording studio and to collaborate with a voice coach in Los Angeles.
Danny and Jeshua would construct a multi-sensory “escape room” that enables visitors, and visually-impaired users in particular, to gather information and instructions from their environment.
Leona, an actor and writer, would use the Holman Prize to expand her magazine “Aromatica Poetica,” which is “dedicated to the arts and sciences” of smell. Furthermore, she would use the prize money to fund her own prize, geared in part towards visually-impaired writers.