The judging panel was chaired by Alistair Houghton (pictured above), executive business editor at Reach sister title the Liverpool Echo, and the rest of the panel comprised:
- Jeremy Orrell, managing partner and head of the corporate team at SAS Daniels,
- Sarah Bailey, relationship manager at NatWest in Chester,
- Colin Brew, the CEO from the West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce,
- Karen Clydesdale, commercial director for Reach plc, Cheshire and North Wales, and
- Kaye Whitby, head of the commercial team and the Chester office at SAS Daniels.