Meet Our Judges
Johnny Vegas and Beverley Dixon
No strangers to vanlife, multi award-winning actor, comedian, director and writer Johnny Vegas and his wonderful P.A Bev are the latest judges to join our fantastic panel!
Johnny Vegas, much-loved comedian, actor, and passionate campervan enthusiast, known for his hit show Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping, where he brought his love for unique mobile living to life.
Bev Dixon, who also rose to fame on the series, is a seasoned expert in travel and outdoor living, bringing invaluable insight and a keen eye for the truly exceptional in the vanlife industry.
With their combined expertise, humor, and passion for the vanlife community, Johnny and Bev will be helping to crown the very best in vanlife.
Steve Balsamo
Steve Balsamo is best known for his legendary performance as Jesus in Andrew Lloyd Webbers hit musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”. A role he played in London’s West End throughout the 90’s. Since then, Steve has built an incredible career as a singer, performer and song-writer for artists including Meatloaf, Slash (of Guns n Roses) and Cliff! Steve is a man of great taste with a keen eye, experience and understanding of what it takes to impress. Welcome to the panel Steve!
Jim Stewart
Jim Stewart is the founder of Shred & Butta, a Surrey-based renovation business specializing in unique vehicle and space conversions. With over 80 years of combined experience, his team has worked on high-profile projects for brands like Hasbro, GoPro, and O’Neill.Jim’s journey began with Butta, the UK’s only homegrown snowboard wax brand, which led him to build a custom production bus that caught the attention of major adventure brands. This kickstarted his career in vehicle conversions and laid the foundation for Shred & Butta.In 2022, he starred inFull Metal Junkies on Discovery, showcasing his team’s wild transformations, from a school bus hotel to a mobile barbershop. He also featured inJohnny Vegas: Carry On Glamping, repurposing vintage vehicles into luxury stays.Now a leader in custom vehicle conversions—including skoolies, Airstreams, and pop-up venues—Jim continues to push creative boundaries, proving that great businesses can start with a simple passion for adventure.We are thrilled to have Jim's expertise on our judging panel!
Cameron Burns
Cameron Burns is founder of @notanotherwhitebox and one of the co-founders of the @retro_camping_club
He is a content producer, influencer, caravan sales rep and overall fount of knowledge in the camping and caravanning world. He has been on the judging panels for the Caravan Design Awards and restored many dilapidated classic caravans to their former glory single-handedly.
We know he is as meticulous with his caravan renovations as he is with his judging!
Siobhan Daniels
Siobhan Daniels AKA Retirement Rebel is embracing #vanlife to the max by travelling Great Britain and Ireland, challenging ageist stereotypes and championing positive ageing. After 30 years working for BBC radio and TV Siobhan retired at 60, disillusioned with life. She got rid of her home and possessions and bought a motorhome. She has written for national newspapers and magazines and appeared on TV, radio and numerous podcasts (check out her Retirement Rebel: Life After 60 Podcast). She is a motivational speaker and gives inspiring talks to women’s groups and corporate events all over the country. She has written an uplifting book called "Retirement Rebel: one woman, one motorhome, one great big adventure", with a desire to stimulate conversations among women, young and old, to change how they see ageing. She’s passionate about helping change the narratives from Anti-ageing to Pro-ageing. Her story is relatable to women and she wants it to ignite a spark in them to have their own adventures as they age. We have been personally inspired by attending Siobhan's talks at @glampfestbyglawning@vanlovefest and the @neccaravanshows
Liz Harrison
Liz is an experienced, motivated and effective communications professional for a large caravan insurance company with more than 15 years experience of working in the public sector and a background in journalism. Multi-skilled in leading and delivering on a range of corporate communication strategies, multi-channel campaigns and policies, as well as knowledge and experience of managing and developing internal communications, digital communications, event management, media handling, design and imaging, staff reward and recognition and reputation management.
Katy Emmett
Katy Emmett is the co-founder, Director, and Manager of Mighty Events Ltd, a company she has been passionately involved with from an early age. With extensive experience in the festival and events industry, Katy leads the organization of multiple events annually. Her award-winning, North of England-based company, alongside a dedicated team of seven seasoned professionals, collectively holds an impressive 85 years of expertise. With over two decades of legacy, Katy excels in organizing events, particularly those centered around vanlife. She also actively contributes to other events by providing equipment hire, software solutions, and essential event gear rentals. Having personally witnessed Katy's exceptional event management skills, we can confidently say she is a perfect choice for this judging panel.