LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is thrilled to announce the ten 2022 Holman Prize for Blind Ambition finalists.
Named for 19th century blind explorer James Holman, the prize awards up to $25,000 each to three blind people each year with ambitious ideas that will change perceptions about blindness worldwide.
This year we have five women and five men as our finalists.
We would also like to thank Waymo for their sponsorship of one of this year’s three Holman Prizes.
The finalists, in no particular order, are:
Abby Griffith, age 28
Country: United States
Proposal: Empower blind and low vision youth of Ethiopia by providing Braille reading and writing devices to students at the school for the blind in Ethiopia
Josh Tseng, age 24
Country: Singapore
Proposal: Produce an online video series “Blind Guy Tries Everything” that will document adventures and try as many things as possible that would be considered unfathomable for people who are blind or have low vision
Fiona Demark, age 45
Country: Australia
Proposal: Video series “Dougherty Dares Downunder,” will challenge blind perceptions by completing a series of dares and activities
Ernie Heredero, age 33
Country: Philippines
Proposal: Open a “Dining in the Dark” style restaurant in Palawan and employ all staff who are blind or have low vision
Flor Jimenez, age 46
Country: United States
Proposal: Promote and support adaptive sports for blind and low vision youth in Latin America
Arron George, age 32
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Proposal: Record seven studio albums and provide studio time, instrumental creation, mixing and mastering, social media marketing, website creation, photo shoots and music videos for blind artists
Oluwakemi Odusanya, age 29
Country: Nigeria
Proposal: Provide leadership training to women who are blind or have low vision in Nigeria
Kesah Princely, age 24
Country: Cameroon
Proposal: Blind Youth Leadership Development Program will provide blindness training and advocacy to youth in Cameroon who are blind or have low vision
Cassie Hames, age 33
Country: Australia
Proposal: Create “See Me,” a fully integrated app that communicates with bus drivers and notifies drivers of approaching bus stops, making independent travel on public transportation safer and more accessible for the blind
Tafadzwa Nyamuzihwa, age 38
Country: Germany
Proposal: “Shining Star” will open recording studios in two African countries that will employ and train blind and low vision people to become radio and audio entertainers
What happens next? This July, a panel of judges from all over the world will gather virtually to choose the three winners; stay tuned to find out who they will be.
