Postgraduate Student Innovation Award - the Judges

We're delighted to announce the line-up of judges for the BBC College of Journalism's Postgraduate Student Innovation Award 2012.

The award is all about championing the wealth of innovative work being done by postgraduate students at journalism schools across the UK. We've chosen the panel to reflect this, inviting journalists, academics and editors with a fantastic track record in the field of innovation. 

Since the BBC College of Journalism launched the competition, I've visited many of the colleges and universities where students are eligible to take part. I've been struck by the amount of really interesting new techniques being used in both newsgathering and story-telling, but also the core of great journalism being done. 

We have been very clear that, while this is an award for innovation, first-class journalism has got to be at the centre of it all. The need for excellent public interest journalism, holding power to account and acting as the fourth estate is as important now as it always has been.

The panel will be chaired by Jonathan Baker, director of the BBC College of Journalism, with Justin Webb, the Today programme presenter, Marie Kinsey, University of Sheffield Journalism School, Steve Herrmann, editor at BBC News online, Paul Egglestone, University of Central Lancashire, and Alison Gow, Wales Online and Wales on Sunday editor. 

Entries for the award close at the end of April and, judging by some of those already submitted, there'll be some very tough competition.