DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL 31st of JULY - AND NEW GENERAL ELECTION CATEGORY ADDED
Gold, Silver, and Bronze award winners for each category will be announced at our awards ceremony later in the year.
We are inviting stations, volunteers, and staff from community radio stations to submit entries to the awards. Stations, volunteers, and staff are welcome to submit as many entries as they wish under each category (except for one entry per station for Station of the Year).
Age of material to be submitted: The material used in the submission must have been broadcast after 1st June 2023.
Foreign Language Shows & Content (eg non English) - are more than welcome to enter any of the categories, we do require an English written transcript (ideally with timecodes) submitted with the entry (Word or PDF transcription upload on each category)
T&C of Submission - by submitting an entry you are agreeing to the below:
Entries are only open to An Ofcom licensed and broadcasting radio station, operated by a not-for-profit or charitable entity with a remit to serve a community of location or a locally based community of identity or interest. - Any questions about eligibility please email.
Material for entries must be original and must have been broadcast on the station for which the entry has been submitted.
You give the Community Radio Awards permission to share and use all material submitted as part of the awards entry process to promote the awards and entries and showcase the work of community radio.
Entries submitted to the awards will be used to celebrate, recognise and promote community radio, and may be shared with partners, funders, sponsors, and externally for those purposes.
As community media organisations are businesses, and submissions are made by agents on their organisations behalf we consider this a business-to-business relationship.
Data submitted on this awards platform is held securely by Submittable. Email addresses and names will also be uploaded to Mailchimp so we can contact submitters about the progress of the awards.
By submitting an entry we consider the data submitted as part of a contractual arrangement, as such we will use names and email addresses to contact those who have entered to let them know about the progress of the awards and the awards ceremony. If you wish your details and entry to be removed from the awards please contact us.
For any questions or concerns about the awards or data usage, please contact Martin Steers hello@communityradioawards.org.uk
All judging decisions are final and the Community Radio Awards will not enter into any correspondence.
All awards must be paid in full prior to them being accepted for judging, no refunds will be made.
All entries must adhere to the submission requirements as outlined here:
D
Gold, Silver, and Bronze award winners for each category will be announced at our awards ceremony later in the year.
Social gain and community impact are at the heart of what makes community radio unique, and great for the communities they are part of and serve.
This award is designed to showcase those stations that run fantastic projects dealing with community issues. The projects don’t have to be on-air, but the station must be the main organiser.
Examples could include training projects, fundraising campaigns with other organisations, community activity days, or projects and stations that run community facilities such as museums and cafes.
Judges will be looking for compelling and powerful projects that have made an impact in the community.
Audio: 5 minutes
PDF: 4 pages of text, graphics, and photos.
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Outcome and impact of the project
- Identification and engagement of the target community and its needs
- Planning and ambition of the project
- Delivery of project
Station of the Year
This award is designed to showcase the station that has all the essential ingredients that make informative and engaging community radio for its target community.
We want to see a mix of everything the station is doing on and off-air, with balanced audio and written submission, explaining what your target community is and what you do to deliver to that community. Some stations may choose to take highlights and extracts from other category entries and work those pieces together to create an overall picture of the station.
Judges will be looking for a station that knows its audience, inspires a strong sense of place, engages listeners in every aspect of output, and demonstrates a genuine ability to connect with the community.
Audio: 15 minutes
PDF: 6 pages of text, graphics and photos
(NOTE: 1 entry per station)
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification and engagement of target community and its needs
- Benefit and impact for the target community on-air and off-air
- Supporting and developing station members, staff, and volunteers
- Good quality on-air programming that caters to and works for the target community
Female Presenter of the Year
This award is designed to showcase those female presenters that are delivering great quality shows and programming for their stations, that really engage with their audience, no matter what the subject, context, or type of show.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
Male Presenter of the Year
This award is designed to showcase those male presenters that are delivering great quality shows and programming for their stations, that really engage with their audience, no matter what the subject, context, or type of show.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
Community Show of the Year
This award is to showcase those programmes that cater to communities of interest within the stations programming but different to the station's main programming, maybe supporting communities which hold protected characteristics under the equalities act (eg age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation)
Judges will be looking at every aspect of the production and presentation and a programme that entertains and delivers for their audience.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of need and the target community
- Engagement of the target community
- Impact of the show on the community
- Presentation within the show
Live Event or Outside Broadcast of the Year
This award is designed to feature coverage of special events either hosted by the station or outside broadcasts. Events could be community, political, sports or just very special or unique. We want to hear how your coverage brought the event alive to the listeners and made it unique.
Judges will be looking for creative and engaging content that informs the listener of what is going on, the sense of the event and its impact with the community, bringing the essence of the event to the listener.
Audio: 5 minutes
PDF: 3 pages of text, graphics, and photos.
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of need and the target community
- Planning of the programme or event
- Delivery of the programme or event
- Impact of the programme or event
This award is designed to showcase those shows that really engage and entertain their audience. No matter the time of day or what else is going on, the Entertainment Show has to cut through and really capture and engage with listeners.
Judges will be looking for a show that balances music and entertainment, led by a presenter or presenters that demonstrate an understanding of their audience and how to craft their show with skill, creativity and infectious enthusiasm.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
This award is designed to showcase those programmes or content that deliver informative and engaging journalism to their audience. Examples may include news teams producing regular and in-depth bulletins, a news magazine show, politics & current affairs show, an incisive interview that holds someone to account or is inspirational, and breaking news that significantly contributes to the public’s understanding of what is going on.
Judges will be looking for entries that deliver robust journalism whilst captivating listeners.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 800
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- The treatment of the subject matter
- The telling of the ‘story’ of the subject matter
- Presentation skills
Specialist Content Show of the Year
This award is designed to showcase those programmes that cover specialist interests and subjects that might not fit into other categories, this might include lifestyle interest shows (eg gardening, cooking, movie), issues show (eg mental health & wellbeing, environmental), or niche content (eg business, finance, or consumer issues).
The judges will be looking for shows that support those interested in the content, but deliver it in an accessible way that may appeal to broader audiences to engage them in the subject area.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 800
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy for the subject
- The treatment of the subject matter
- Presentation skills
Arts & Creative Radio of the Year
This award highlights those shows or creative content that is artistic in nature, from drama to soundscapes, or that use radio as the medium to entertain, inform, or engage the audience about creative audio.
Judges will be looking for entries with flawless production that take full advantage of the medium to draw listeners in.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy for the subject
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
Specialist Music Show of the Year
This award is designed to showcase those shows and presenters that have a real passion and knowledge for their music and how it engages with or compliments the local community. This might be a specific genre of music or a different approach to something more mainstream, showcasing local artists within the genres, or ways the local community enjoys the music, as well as shows dedicated to promoting local, unsigned or live music.
Judges will be looking for in-depth knowledge of the genre or a special reflection on the music, alongside outstanding music curation, production and presentation
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy for the subject
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
This award is to showcase those shows that take pride in community sport, from live coverage of sports matches or events, to coverage of niche sports that are underrepresented in the mainstream media.
Judges will be looking for creative and knowledgeable presenters and a programme which captivates the audience.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Passion and energy for the subject
- Personality and character
- Presentation skills
Volunteer of the Year
This award showcases that volunteer at your station who really goes above and beyond the call of duty. It doesn’t have to be about the hours, it’s about the energy and their contribution. In a sector where the majority involved are volunteers, this award is for those that are an example and inspiration to all.
We recommend that station management nominate someone on their behalf.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
Words: 800 (no audio)
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Impact or benefit for the station
- Passion and energy
- A positive example or role model for those at the station
- Going above and beyond for the station and those involved
This award is designed to showcase those young people who are passionate about radio, and whose work positively impacts those around them and their listeners.
We recommend that station management nominate someone on their behalf.
They must be under 25 at the close of nominations.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Impact or benefit for the station
- Passion and energy
- A positive example or role model for those at the station
- Someone who regardless of their age has great skill or potential
This award is designed to showcase older people who are passionate about radio whose work positively impacts on those around them and their listeners.
We recommend that station management nominate someone on their behalf.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
They must be over 60 at the close of nominations.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Impact or benefit for the station
- Passion and energy
- A positive example or role model for those at the station
- Someone who regardless of their age has great skill or potential
Newcomer of the Year
This award is designed to showcase the best of up and coming talent, regardless of age or ability. The nominee could be doing any role within the radio station but must be new to the radio industry within the last 12 months.
We recommend that station management nominate someone on their behalf.
Judges will be looking for an outstanding, passionate individual who demonstrates a love for radio and broadcasting.
Audio: 5 minutes
Words: 600
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Impact or benefit for the station
- Passion and energy
- A positive example or role model for those at the station
- Someone who regardless of their age has great skill or potential
This award is designed to feature coverage of the General Election. This coverage can include before, during and after the elections, from local debates & hustings to elections night events. We want to hear how your coverage engaged the local community in the election and elections process.
Audio: 5 minutes
PDF: 3 pages of text, graphics and photos. (and extra 4th page can be used as a running order)
Your submission will be considered against the following five points
- Presentation and quality of entry
- Identification of the target audience and engagement with that audience
- Planning of the coverage
- Delivery of the coverage
- The overall quality of the coverage