The Jury
Since 2019 the winners of the European Prize for Popular and Contemporary Music are chosen by a jury of music professionals. They are all from various backgrounds, but they all share their love and knowledge of music of all genres. There are 4 members that join for 3 years and every edition they are joined by the current Public Choice Award winner. These 5 jury members are asked to decide unanimously who the winners will be each edition.
For the MME Awards 2024 Jerry Heil from Ukraine will take over the seat from Jacqueline Baghdasaryan, the singer from the Armenian band Ladavina who won the Public Choice Award in 2022.
Jerry Heil released her first single 'Ochrana, otmena' in 2019 and immediately scored a hit. Today she touches the soul of millions of viewers with her music on YouTube. She became one of the few Ukrainians to enter one of the most prestigious music universities in the world, Berklee College of Music
Bryan Johnson is responsible for leading the development of creative partnerships and educational initiatives at Spotify. He is dedicated to enabling artists and their teams to find and develop their audience. Bryan has been a touring & recording musician for the past 20+ years.
Cindy Castillo knows her way around the music industry as CEO and Founder of Gigantic Music Management & Booking and as the head of Mad Cool Festival. She has been doing bookings and management for the famous Spanish rock and indie festival since the start.
Gemma Bradley is the BBC Radio 1 go-to for the best new music. She champions a vast array of genres and great acts alike and is praised for her fun, warm, and humorous approach to presenting. When she’s not presenting, Gemma is a songwriter and artist in her own right.
Under Kevin Cole’s direction, American radio station KEXP has evolved from a purely Seattle oriented station to a globally revered nonprofit arts organization. It is dedicated to enrich listeners by championing music and discovery. Kevin also hosts the popular afternoon“Drive Time show”.