Professor Brian Dibble
Brian Dibble holds a Personal Chair in Comparative Literature at Curtin University where he teaches creative writing and literature. He was Foundation Head (1973) of what is now Curtin University's Department of Communication and Cultural Studies where he established the state's first undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing. He is an editor of books and journals, and has also published his own criticism, poetry and fiction along with biographical work on William Hart-Smith and Elizabeth Jolley. He is the Chairman of the 2004 judging panel.

Ms Lucille Fisher
Lucille Fisher has been a journalist for more than 30 years and works as a sub-editor on the West Australian. She has extensive experience in proof-reading and editing, and contributed to a prize-winning entry in the Premier's Book Awards several years ago.

Professor Ed Jaggard
Ed Jaggard is a historian with long-standing interests in modern British, and Australian history. His research has been published in several books and numerous articles in Australia and elsewhere. Formerly Dean, Faculty of Arts at Edith Cowan University, he was the initiator of the Pines Picture Garden at that institution's Joondalup campus.

Ms Suzanne Wyche
Suzanne has been a Senior English teacher for 25 years, most recently at Scotch College, and during that time developed reading programs for students at all levels. She currently assesses manuscripts of works for young people. She is a former State President of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (WA Branch), is presently a Committee Member, and in that capacity, in 2002, edited Showcasing Western Australia: Authors and Illustrators for Young People. Suzanne is a judge of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers for 2003.