Dr Donna Lim (Chief Judge) is a lecturer with the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She specialises in primary English Language methodology. Her interest area is in developing literacy with a focus on teaching writing. She has considerable teaching experience with young learners and finds it fulfilling to work with fellow educators to enhance EL teaching and learning. Dr Lim serves as the Chief Judge for HABA 2022.

Adeline Foo is an adjunct lecturer with 28 books published in Asia. 10 of her books were Singapore’s best-selling children’s titles in a ten-year-run. Currently, Adeline is an independent TV researcher-scriptwriter, with five original TV productions. Adeline holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and has also written non-fiction for adults. Adeline is best-known for the successful Diary of Amos Lee series of children’s books, which has been adapted for television.

Sydney Smith is the award-winning author and illustrator of Small in the City as well as the illustrator of I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson, The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart, among others. Sydney has received multiple awards including four consecutive New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books Awards, two Kate Greenaway Awards and is nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Sydney was born in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Photo by Steve Farmer.