Neil James returns again as one of our international judges. Neil is Chair of the International Working Group on Plain Language, and hosted the 2009 PLAIN International Conference in Sydney. He was a keynote speaker at the first WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Conference in 2006, and a judge for the 2008 and 2009 Plain English Awards.
After a long career in government and the media, Neil James completed a doctorate in English and set up Australia’s Plain English Foundation with Peta Spear. The Foundation combines plain English training, editing, and auditing with a public campaign for plain English. Neil has published two books and over 50 essays and articles on language and literature. Neil’s newest work, Writing at Work (Allen and Unwin 2007), a book on plain language and the professions, has been widely acclaimed as one of the best of its kind.