Ruth Eichhorn

Ruth Eichhorn has been the director of photography of the GEO family of magazines since 1994. She oversees the magazines’ photographic direction, working directly with contributing photographers from around the globe. Eichhorn has curated and organized numerous exhibitions and edited a range of photo books. She heads the German nominating committee for the Joop Swart Masterclass, and was a member of the World Press Photo jury in 2004 and 2006.

Richard Hsu

A leading member of China's design community, Richard Hsu led the opening of Wieden+Kennedy’s China office. In 2006, he founded the brand consultancy company [h+] in Shanghai, which focuses on China and China-related brands, talents, education. He is also the co-founder of Shanghai streetwear brand, Eno.  Richard lectures regularly in the subjects of brand development and multi-disciplinary design at Columbia University, New York University, Tongji University, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts Beijing.

Stephen Wilkes

For more than two decades Stephen Wilkes has been widely recognized for his fine art and commercial photography. His photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums and featured in a number of magazines and periodicals including the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair and Time, and many others.  His industry accolades include the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, Adweek Magazine’s Photographer of the Year and honors in Graphis Magazine.   His 2006 book, Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, was featured on Weekend Edition with Scott Simon of NPR, CBS Sunday Morning with Martha Teichner and included in Time Magazine’s 5 Best Photography Books of The Year in 2006.  Wilkes’ newest body of work is titled Day to Night, which embodies epic cityscapes with fleeting moments throughout the day to the night.

Chandran Nair

As Founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong-based think-and-do tank Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), Chandran Nair has been long contributing to global thought leadership with his insightful and often provocative perspectives and ideas. He is a sought-after speaker on business challenges, economic policy, and sustainability issues, and continues to provide management expertise to global corporations. He is also Chairman of Avantage Ventures, a boutique social investment firm in Hong Kong. He is author of Consumptionomics: Asia’s role in reshaping capitalism and saving the world, published in January 2011. Chandran will also serve on the judging panel of this project.

Simon Cartledge

Former Editor-in-Chief of the Economist Intelligence Unit Asia, Simon Cartledge is the owner of Big Brains Ltd, an independent Hong Kong-based research and publishing company set up to create and distribute original analysis and information. He has extensive research and editorial experience in economic and political issues in Asia, and has published numerous articles and reports for the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune and Business Week.

Stefen Chow

An award-winning photographer with a unique eye, Stefen Chow has worked with The Smithsonian, Time Magazine, Geo Germany and The Guardian. He is also co-founder of The Poverty Line, a visual project that contextualizes poverty across place and time, and has spoken on art, politics, and societal issues at institutes and conferences across Asia and Europe. More recently, Stefen is also a winner of the World Press Photo Competition 2013.