Audio Production Awards goes online for 2020
New ‘Life in Lockdown Award’ introduced
AudioUK has announced that the winners of this year’s Audio Production Awards (APAs) will be announced online on Thursday 26 November.
All of the usual 20 awards will be included, plus an additional category to recognise content produced in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The APAs, organised by AudioUK, celebrate the craft skills behind radio, podcast, and audiobook production, with a ceremony normally taking place on London’s South Bank. Due to ongoing uncertainties resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s APAs will be adapted for an online celebration.
As always there will be awards for the best producer in comedy, arts, factual, podcasts, audiobooks as well as a range of best presenter/narrator awards, plus the special Gold award and the ‘Production Company of the Year’. Once again, the ‘Grassroots Production’ category will celebrate producers, teams and organisations working close to their communities, and this category will be free to enter, recognising the particular challenges faced in that part of the sector.
In addition there will be a new ‘Life in Lockdown Award’, for innovative and/or creative production during the UK’s official COVID-19 lockdown period from 23 March to 10 May 2020.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, every category is open to all forms of audio, which includes radio (broadcast via airwaves or online) and all podcast/downloadable/non-broadcast audio.
The APAs, which will accept entries from today until noon on Friday 18 September, are open to production talent from across the whole of the UK, with the entry fee frozen again at 2018’s price of £35+VAT for AudioUK members and £45+VAT for non-members.
Full details are at https://audioproductionawards.awardstage.com
Kellie While, Chair of AudioUK and Head of 7digital Creative, said:
“We’re really pleased to be able to still produce the awards in a year in which production teams and individuals have used their skills to continue to provide high-quality audio content to audiences. While it’s not clear how things will look in November, we don’t want anyone to feel excluded, so we have decided to put the awards announcement online. We really look forward to being able to celebrate the very best in audio production over the last year”.
ENDS
MORE 2020 AWARDS DETAILS:
- Entries open: Mon 10 August 2020. All entries must be completely received by Friday 18 September 2020 at noon sharp
- Shortlist announced: October 2020
- Winners announcement: Thursday 26 November 2020 (details to follow)
- Entry Details: Entries should be designed to show the judges the quality of work over the past year, either in a series of extracts (from one programme or a series) or clips from a range of different programmes. Entrants may also submit an exceptional long clip from a single programme, which can be a one-off or a series.
Audio clips and written statements: The maximum length of entries is 20 minutes and written nominations/supporting statements must not exceed 600 words
- Awards Categories:
Best Arts Producer
Best Music Producer
Best Factual Producer
Best News Producer
Best Sports Producer
Best Entertainment Producer
Gethin Thomas Award for Best Comedy Producer
Best Live Event / Outside Broadcast Producer
Best Narrator
Best Podcast Producer
Best Drama Producer
Best Audiobooks/Readings Producer
Best New Producer
Best Station Sound Producer
Best Sound Designer
Grassroots Production Award
Best Presenter – Speech
Best Presenter – Music
New Voice Award
Life in Lockdown Award
Production Company of the Year
- ‘Life in Lockdown’ Award: This award is for innovative and/or creative production during the UK’s official lockdown period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content must have been made between 23 March – 10 May 2020. Entries should demonstrate either: technical and production excellence in the face of adversity, creative solutions to challenges arising from production in lockdown, and/or content that helped inform and shine a light on life during this period in a new and fresh way.
- The Gethin Thomas Award for Best Comedy Producer honours the Welsh comedy performer and producer, and former member of the AudioUK Board, who unexpectedly passed away in 2017.
- Judging:
– All categories will follow the usual process of audio/written submissions assessed by judges
– APAs judges are a diverse group from across the audio sector. Their names will be published once all judging has been completed, but not stating which individual categories they judged. We always strive for fairness and will allocate our judges to categories in a way that eliminates any conflict of interest.