• Michael Buerk, journalist and broadcaster, whose reporting of the Ethiopian famine in October 1984 inspired the Band Aid charity record and, subsequently, the Live Aid concert;
• Dawn Chatty FBA, Emerita Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration at the University of Oxford;
• Dr. Georgia Cole, Ockenden International’s Joyce Pearce Junior Research Fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford;
• Dr.Jeff Crisp, Research Associate, Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford;
• Dr. Avila Kilmurray, Trustee, Conciliation Resources and consultant with The Social Change Initiative, an international NGO working to strengthen civil society activism and advocacy in the areas of Human Rights, Migration and Refugee Rights and community based peace-building;
• Dame Frances Lannon, former Principal and Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), University of Oxford;
• Dr. Alice Nah, Lecturer at the Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York, and independent expert on forced migration in Asia;
• Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary General of CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations and former Director General of the Royal Commonwealth Society and;
• Mike Wooldridge, OBE, a former BBC Foreign Correspondent.

The Ockenden International Prizes are focused on identifying solutions to the challenges faced by displaced people, raising awareness of their needs, and rewarding outstanding projects.

Ockenden International trustee Chairman, Vin Ray said: “The new ‘Advisory Board’ brings a wealth of experience and knowledge across disciplines that will ensure Ockenden International prizes benefit the most effective refugee and/or internally displaced people (IDP) projects.

“Ockenden International seeks to recognise the projects and programmes that excel at getting their beneficiaries back on their own feet. Our 2018 four-prize format will enable us to reward more projects, widening and extending the impact of the most worthwhile projects Ockenden International seeks to highlight and reward.”

The four cash prizes recognize innovative work that fosters self-reliance for refugees and/or IDPs anywhere in the world – the hallmark of Ockenden International since its inception in 1951.

Submissions for the £25,000 prizes are sought from non-profit organisations, which can also elect to nominate a project by a partner or affiliate organization. There are no geographical limits on the locations of submitted projects but the judges will be looking for work initiated no earlier than September 1, 2014, and for evidence of properly measured and evaluated outcomes.

Deadline for entries is midnight (GMT) on Thursday, November 30, 2017, with the four winners to be announced by March 31, 2018.