Annie Caulfield, writer and broadcaster
Travel writer, dramatist and broadcaster, Annie Caulfield has written and broadcast for the BBC from Australia to Zanzibar. She also co hosted a comic chat show with Sandi Toksig on LBC.  Recent radio projects include a comic drama on the life of Flann O'Brien for Radio 3 and a book on how to write for radio for Crowood Press 2009. She is currently writing a play about Algeria and researching a book about Ethiopia.

Trevor Dann, Director, The Radio Academy
Director of the Radio Academy, the professional body for the radio industry, Trevor is also a media consultant, a DJ for the Classic Gold network and the executive producer of podcasts for clients including the Financial Times, BAA, PWC and New Media Age magazine. His first book, Darker Than The Deepest Sea, a biography of Nick Drake, was published in February 2006. He was formely Head of BBC Music Entertainment, Head of Music at Radio 1, MD of Pop at Emap and Managing Editor of GLR. He is a past chair of the Music Radio Conference and a Fellow of both the Radio Academy and the Royal Society of Arts.

John Dryden, Radio Producer, Goldhawk Productions
John is an award-winning director and writer who has worked on many dramas for broadcasters in the UK including the BBC and Channel 4. He is currently working with producers Jane Scott and Martin McCallum on the feature film A Suitable Boy from the novel by Vikram Seth. His screenplay was selected for the six-month script development programme at the Binger FilmLab a script development programme based in Amsterdam.  As a pioneering director in radio, he won the 2008 Sony Radio Academy Award for best drama production for the ten-part serial Q & A. Other recent radio dramas include The Cairo Trilogy staring Omar Sharif, which won a Sony Radio Academy Award in 2007.

Stephanie Sirr, CEO, Nottingham Playhouse
At the helm of a theatre renowned for its bold and thrilling new work, recent highlights during Stephanie’s tenure include the British premiere of Robert Lepage’s Polygraph, the world premieres of Rat Pack Confidential by Paul Sirett (which transferred to the West End), Angels Among Trees by Jonathan Holloway and Ethel and Ernest by Stephen Churchett, The Man Who by Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne and Chicken Soup with Barley, all directed by Giles Croft; David Farr’s innovative production of The Taming of the Shrew; the world premiere of Steven Berkoff’s Ritual in Blood, directed by Tim Walker; an adaptation of To Reach the Clouds by Nick Drake, the world premiere of All Quiet on the Western Front adapted by Robin Kingsland and The White Album by Michael Pinchbeck.

Adam Gee, Channel 4 New Media Commissioner Factual
One of the most experienced commissioners in UK broadcasting of multiplatform interactive projects around TV, Adam’s projects range from Big Art Mob to Embarrassing Bodies, and of course The Play’s The Thing. He was responsible for setting up 4Talent, the Channel’s major cross-platform talent development initiative. He has won over 50 international awards for his productions - including a BAFTA, two RTS Awards, the inaugural Media Guardian Innovation Award, and the Grand Award at the New York International Film & Television Festival.

Paul Kent, Drama Producer, Director and Writer
After many years at the BBC, where he commissioned drama, readings and features for the World Service and Radio 4, Paul left the Corporation in 1998. He then helped open the national speech radio station Oneword, where he was Programme Director until its demise in early 2008. He's now  to be found at the offices of Beautiful Sounds, where he is Head of Audio, commissioning and producing unabridged readings of contemporary fiction, poetry, and anything that's good.

Chris Savery, CEO, Plays on the Net
After founding Plymouth Presents where he staged many plays including Oliver Cromwell at the Globe Theatre; A Clash of Wills and Peacocks and Hens at the Athenauem, A Battle of Wits and Marilyn at the Barbican Theatre, Plymouth, Chris ventured in to radio recording original plays for Kick FM, Plymouth. In 2001, Playsonthenet was created to produce new plays for download on the web. Chris produced over 50 hours of original drama for Oneword Radio and got 3 Sony nominations in 2002. In November 2006 Chris collaborated with The Old Vic on their ’24 Hour Plays’ project, recording a series of new productions for broadcast on Oneword radio, one of many dynamic working relationships he’s evolved in UK theatre.

Maud Hand, multimedia producer & training consultant
Developing new talent in broadcast media is Maud’s hallmark. She produces, edits and project manages rich media content, radio programmes and events for the BBC, Channel 4 and RTÉ. As well as producing The Radio Play’s The Thing, she was founding editor of the Northern Ireland hub of IDEASFACTORY, Channel 4’s cross-platform talent development initiative, managing its re-brand to 4Talent Northern Ireland, (Jan 2004 – Jan 2007). She originated & produced Turner Round, Channel 4 Radio’s first arts series. She has eight radio series in production for the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, inc. To Hell or Barbados, the story of the Irish Red Legs enslaved in Cromwellian times. As a consultant media trainer and mentor, Maud serves the public & private sectors inc. 3rd level institutions in UK & Ireland.

Readers, Brian Burns, Cathy Stewart and Stephen Williams assisted Maud Hand in drawing up an initial shortlist from the 500 submissions to the competition.

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