ABOUT THE JURY

AMANDA BRUNKER

Amanda Brunker is a best-selling author, journalist, director, producer and TV personality. Having started modelling at 15, Amanda won Miss Ireland aged 17 in 1991 and has been a general media whore ever since.Amanda is best known for staring in practically every reality TV series Ireland has produced; being a TV talent judge on All Ireland Talent Show and Celebrity You’re A Star and writing dirty books!

BRENT POPE

Brent Pope is a former New Zealand rugby player and professional coach but is best known as an RTE rugby pundit with George Hook. Brent has published 6 children’s books for charity, and in 2012 wrote an autobiography entitled "Brent Pope if you really knew me that was

shortlisted for the British Sports Book of the year". Brent is an ambassador for many Irish mental health charities and has just established POPE a fashion label.

MARIA WALSH

Maria Walsh is a Broadcaster and Journalist and was crowned the International Rose of Tralee 2014. During her reign as The Rose of Tralee, Maria travelled across the world as ambassador for the Festival and attended various international events. She appeared on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, RTÉ TODAY, and The New Year’s Eve Celebration. On TV3, she featured on Late Lunch Live and the Seven O’Clock Show. Within her capacity as International Rose of Tralee, Maria dedicated much of her year traveling across the country speaking to young people. She has also given her time to a number of charitable organisations. She travelled to Kolkata with the Hope Foundation, Eastern Cape with Mellon Educate and Vesnova with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International. Maria is the ambassador for Development Perspective’s “Insight 2015” program, which explores issues affecting our communities from a local and global perspective, and will travel to Tanzania in June.

MICHAEL DOHERTY

As Movies Editor with The RTÉ Guide, Ireland’s largest-selling magazine, Michael Doherty has spent two decades interviewing the world’s leading film-makers. He was the movie reviewer on various RTÉ TV shows including The Afternoon Show, The Daily Show and Morning Edition, and has been a regular contributor over the years to such RTÉ radio shows as Morning Ireland, Arena and Dave Fanning. Michael is the author of Reel Lives (Blackwater Press), a collection of essays and interviews.