- Andrew Mitchell MP (Shadow Secretary of State for International Development)
- Alan Cox (actor)
- Dr Michael Charney (SOAS)
- Soe Win Than (BBC Burmese Service)
- Pascal Khoo Thwe (author of From the Land of the Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey)
- Derek Tonkin (former British ambassador to Vietnam, Thailand and Laos)
The Orwell Prize 2010 opened for entries with an evening of events on the theme, ‘What next for Burma?’, marking the 75th anniversary of Orwell’s Burmese Days. This was accompanied by an online selection of Orwell’s work about Burma, an introduction to Burmese Days by Emma Larkin and a photographic essay revisiting Orwell’s steps in Burma from photo-journalist Julio Etchart.
The evening ran as follows:
5.30 Doors open
5.45 Question and Answer session
- Andrew Mitchell MP
6.15 Drinks
6.40 Launch: Opening of submissions for the Orwell Prize 2010, and announcement of judges
- Professor Jean Seaton, Director of the Prize
6.50 Drama: An Incident in Rangoon – exclusive adaptation from Orwell’s sketches for Burmese Days by Dominic Cavendish
- Alan Cox
7.00 Discussion: What next for Burma?
- Dr Michael Charney
- Derek Tonkin
- Pascal Khoo Thwe
- Soe Win Than
- Jean Seaton (chair)