Judges

Josef Woodard is a longtime journalist-critic on jazz, other genres of music and other disciplines in the arts. Though based in Santa Barbara, Calif., her often travels internationally to cover jazz festivals. He has written for DownBeat and the Los Angeles Times for many years, and a list of publications include Jazz Times, Jazziz, Cadence, All About Jazz, Entertainment Weekly, Opera Now, Artweek, and various newspapers. He won an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for stories in Jazz Times. He has penned many album liner notes, and has two books published, to date, on Charles Lloyd (A Wild Blatant Truth, 2016) and Charlie Haden (Conversations with Charlie Haden, 2017), published by Silman-James Press, as well as the chapter “ECM and U.S. Jazz,” for Horizons Touched: The Music of ECM (Granta) (2007).

Danish journalist and jazz writer. He worked as writer and copy editor, covering also jazz, for major Danish daylies. From 1992 to 2002: head of Danish Broadcasting Corp. jazz department and manager of the Danish Radio Big Band. 

President of the Jazz Journalists Association, author, educator, editor, webcaster, blogger, print journalist and board member of the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Two-time winner of ASCAP's Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism, Howard Mandel has been published by the the Village Voice, Chicago Reader, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Musical America, Rytmit (Helsinki), The Wire (London), Swing Journal (Tokyo) and Bravo! (Sao Paolo), among other periodicals.

Nigel J. Farmer is the Editor in Chief of Jazz In Europe, the largest English language jazz website in Europe and publisher of the Jazz In Europe Magazine.
In addition he is the producer of the Jazz Tribe Network podcats series, with 42+ years of proven entrepreneurial business experience on four continents - UK, NZ, Australia, Asia and North America. 

Founder of the Jazz Studies Research Group, co-edited the Jazz special issue of Americana E-Journal and the Jazz Studies issue of the social science journal Replika. Kornél has been active as a jazz critic and journalist for decades, currently writing for Gramofon Klasszikus és Jazz, Magyar Narancs, Müpa Magazin, Magyarjazz.hu and other publications.

Promoter, music producer and presenter of jazz living in Kiev, founder of Jazz in Kiev production agency and international Jazz in Kiev Festival (2008-2010); co-producer of jazz TV shows, since 2011 programming director of the annual open-air international Leopolis Jazz Fest (formerly known as Alfa Jazz Fest) in Lviv, Ukraine which is one of the biggest outdoor jazz festivals in Eastern Europe

Romanian writer, jazz expert, diplomat, jazz aesthetics professor, polyglot and performer. Virgil was co-founder and the first director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon, and served as minister-counselor at the Romanian embassy in Portugal (2006-2012). Currently, he is assistant professor on Jazz Aesthetics at the Music Academy in Cluj. 

Mirian Arbalejo is a jazz critic and popularizer. Over the past five years she has globalized Spanish criticism, as a member of the jury of the DownBeat Critics Poll, the NPR Jazz Critics Poll or the Jazz Journalists Association Awards, just as the Getxo Internacional Jazz Festival and Feminajazz. 

John is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association, videographer and photographer.
His blog was recently assessed by Blog Feed as being among the top 50 Jazz blogs worldwide.

Musician, composer, teacher and writer from Uppsala. Has a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Released several records in different genres as a vocalist, composer and producer. Writes for Swedish jazz magazine JAZZ, former OrkesterJournalen, where she also was acting editor in chief in 2018 and 2019. Founder of the equality project jazzstice.com. 

Peter broadcasts The European Jazz Hour on a number of internet and local radio stations and also writes for London Jazz News.

Inspired initially by the American Avant-Garde of Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Peter soon discovered the talented British, European and South African musicians who were taking jazz in different directions – bands like Loose Tubes, Brotherhood of Breath and the ICP.

Director of the Bangalore School of Music, heading the Jazz & Contemporary music Dept., Music Relations, concerts, events, programming. He was also involved in programming, producing a Jazz programme on air on Radio Indigo as well as a world music show in syndication with Putumayo World Music.
 

Journalist, Jazz & Brazilian Music Historian, Record Producer, Publicist, Arranger, Percussionist, Educator, member of Jazz Journalists Association, voting member of NARAS-GRAMMY, founder of the JSR (Jazz Station Records) label.

Member of the Jazz Journalists Association, journalist for All About Jazz, Jazz Times Digital and various newspapers in the Dominican Republic. He is the Founder and Director of Jazz en Dominicana.

Vocalist and pianist. She is a Lecturer in the Jazz Studies programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Arts (Music). She is the Project Manager of the UKUSA Arts Programme and is a Board member of KUMISA (KwaZulu-Natal United Music Industry Association). 
Debbie has enjoyed many musical collaborations as a performer who enjoys singing jazz standards and original compositions such as those she recorded with Darius Brubeck (Before It’s Too Late, title track), George Mari (Since I Met You) and Richard Walne (The Only One Around, title track).

Broadcaster, editor, journalist, teacher and writer. Member of the Israeli Education Ministry’s Music Committee. Artistic Director of The Red Sea Jazz Festival. Member of the planning committee of Unesco’s FORUM CULTURAL MUNDIAL (Brazil, 2004/2006). In 2009 he received Awarded Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. 

Producer, co-founder Taklit Publishing & Production

A graduate in International Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle, Patricia co-runs Taklit, an agency specializing in production, publishing, artist management, concert & tour management. Patricia entered the world of music at age 8 after having heard violinist, William Boyd make his violin speak during a school presentation of orchestral instruments. 

Jazz Vocalist, singer, songwriter, educator

Born and raised in Kobe, Japan. Now based in Tokyo.  Geila was born half Israeli and Japanese. Attended Canadian Academy International School, then graduated Berklee College of Music in 1991.  Hosted TV and radio programs after returning to Kobe, then moved to Tokyo in 1995 after the huge earthquake that hit Kobe. Her career was more focused in music in Tokyo, singing for TV commercials and many other studio project works where she sang in both English and Japanese. 

Colombian-born jazz and literary critic. Her writing has appeared on African American Review, All Music Guide to Jazz, Americas, Coda, Global Rhythm, Jazz Notes, JazzTimes and The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. 
She is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association.
 

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, raised with jazz music, journalist for All About Jazz, Chicago Jazz Magazine and Jazziz. Member of the Jazz Journalists Association.

He has recently organized and headed the selection committee for the 2018 edition of Jazz Journalists' Association's Jazz Photo Contest.