Richard Blair is the son of George Orwell and the patron of The Orwell Society.  Taking an active role in the society’s events and prizes, he hopes they will provoke meaningful discussions about Orwell and the issues his father took a passionate interest in.

N. A. (Nicola) Rossi is the author of the dystopian Rockstar Ending books which are now in development for a TV series. She left a 30-year corporate career to focus on her writing after winning an award from the Orwell Society in 2018. Find out more about Nicola at https://nicolarossi.com.

Luke Seaber is Senior Teaching Fellow in Modern European Culture on University College London’s Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities, which he also co-ordinates. He’s author of various books, chapters and articles discussing Orwell and early 20th-century British literature more widely, and has been a judge of the Orwell Society Prize for Dystopian Fiction since it started.

James Keane is a publisher and cover designer with Northodox Press. Previously working for The People’s Book Prize, Icon Books, and HarperCollins in London. He founded Northodox Press in 2020 with Ted O’Connor, representing authors across Northern England. Find out more about James at https://northodox.co.uk/

Although announced James Keane did not participate in the judging (May 2026).