Mark Sullivan (journalist for All About Jazz, composer) – USA
Geila Zilkha (vocalist, teacher) - Japan
Fiona Ross (musician, journalist, teacher) - UK
Gegè Telesforo (musician, producer) - Italy
Patricia Johnston (producer & artist manager) - France
Dubi Lenz (journalist, art director “The Red Sea Jazz Festival”) - Israel
Howard Mandel (president of the Jazz Journalists Association) - USA
Greg Stott (teacher at the Australian National University) - Australia
Iñaki Askunze (musician, conductor, composer, teacher) - Spain
Chris Hodgkins (producer, broadcaster for Jazz London Radio) - UK
Fernando R. de Mondesert (Jazz Journalist Association) - Dominican Republic
Yuri Kishimoto (musician, teacher) - Japan
Jesús Rodríguez Alarcón (musician, teacher) - Mexico
Hryar Attarian (journalist for All About Jazz) - USA
Arthur Satyan (musician, teacher) - Armenia
Marcela Breton (Jazz Journalist Association) - Colombia
Dmitry Baevsky (musician and teacher) - Russia
Arnaldo DeSouterio (journalist, Producer, member of JJA) - Brazil
Debbie Mari (teacher at the UKZN - School of Music Jazz Studies) - South Africa
Jan Fritz (producer, editor) - Germany
For the final ranking, Nigel J. Farmer (Jazz in Europe) and Peter Slavid (broadcaster for Hayes FM), was added to the official judging panel.