AudioUK is delighted to be joining forces with Amazon Music & Wondery for a third year on the Pay What You Can scheme to help the Audio Production Awards to grow and to reach even more audio creators across the UK. The scheme is key to ensuring inclusive and equal accessibility within the industry – an ambition shared by Amazon Music, Wondery and AudioUK.
The APAs is sponsored by Audible and organised by AudioUK, the trade body which champions and supports independent audio production businesses in the UK.
The Awards, now in its thirteenth year, recognises and celebrates outstanding achievement in audio production across a huge range of audio content: podcasts, audiobooks, sound design, radio, presenting; and are open to production talent across the UK.
There are 22 awards ranging from Best Producer in Comedy, Factual, Drama & Fiction, Arts, Music, Entertainment, Lifestyle & Society, Audiobooks, Sound Design and more, plus a variety of on-mic and emerging talent awards, Best Ensemble Cast, and the special AudioUK award – last year awarded to Lily Ames and Laura Blake, Heads of The UK Audio Network (UKAN).
The Amazon Music & Wondery Grassroots Production Award will celebrate producers, teams and/or organisations working closely with their communities. This category will be free to enter, recognising the particular challenges faced in that part of the sector.
The Pay What You Can Scheme was first introduced in 2021 to enable those who would find the cost of entry or cost of a ticket for the Awards a barrier to doing so.
Chloe Straw, Managing Director of AudioUK, said:
“I’m delighted that we will be teaming up with Amazon Music & Wondery on the Audio Production Awards Pay What You Can scheme once again. Their commitment has enabled us to expand the scheme and to do more outreach to ensure we are reaching more and more people each year. We introduced it to make sure that how much money a person has, or the challenges they face, are not barriers to entering or attending the awards. The support is key for the growth and success of the scheme.”
Jess Radburn, Head of International Podcast Content at Wondery, said:
“Continuing to provide independent creators with access to the Audio Production Awards through the Pay What You Can Scheme is incredibly important to Amazon Music and Wondery. We are committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and sustainable audio landscape, and helping to reduce the financial barrier to entry some creators find is an important part of this.”
Details on the 2023 Audio Production Awards can be found here.