The ARIAS are judged by over 200 senior audio professionals, drawn from all sectors of the industry. Judges are organised into judging panels, which range in size from 6 to 12 people per category, depending on the number of entries submitted. Each panel is chaired by a Head Judge, who will bring significant experience in their field.

The Chair of Judges will lead a webinar for anyone looking to enter the awards, to offer insights on the judging process and guidance on what to consider when putting together your entry.

All but the Radio Times Moment of the Year is carried out in pools, and the top 3 in each pool are put forward as ARIAS Nominees in the relevant category. Pool A is audio content commissioned or made by the BBC; Pool B is audio content commissioned or made by Commercial Radio groups or other Radio groups; Pool C is audio content produced that doesn’t fit into either Pool A or B. Pool C isn’t relevant in all categories.

Judges listen to all entries and read all submissions, then anonymously score them against criteria relevant to the category: examples of criteria are Content, Creativity, Production, Impact, Growth, Engagement and Business Success.

The judging panel then meet to discuss and identify the Bronze, Silver and Gold winners.

Each panel judges just one category, and each award is determined in isolation, with the decision of the judging panel being final.

The Radio Times Moment of The Year is judged differently. All Radio Academy Members are invited to suggest their favourite moment from across audio and radio in the past year, whether they worked on it or not. A panel of judges, formed of Radio Academy Trustees and the Editor of the Radio Times, score these and meet to form a shortlist of ten. The readers of Radio Times then vote for their favourite on the Radio Times website.

You can submit your audio in whatever form you think best represents your content, whether one long section, a series of individual clips, or a combination of both. As long as the audio submitted is in the form it was broadcast or published during the qualifying period, and is no longer than the category allows, it’s entirely up to you. We would advise entrants to leave a short gap between clips, and you should not add in any additional SFX. Please note that if your audio submission is longer than allowed, judges will be asked not to listen past the stated time limit.

It’s up to entrants what they submit for each award, but audio and stories must be tailored to meet each category criteria.

In an effort to simplify the entry process, we no longer restrict entries using the previous ‘pairing’ system. Unless otherwise stated in the criteria, entrants can submit their content into whichever categories they feel are best suited.

Incredibly important, and judges will this year be asked to pay even closer attention to the ‘story’ element of entries. This is your chance to fully explain why you feel your entry should win over all others, and in the write-up you should include any data or information you think is relevant to demonstrate any success or growth you’ve achieved during the qualifying period. Please stick to the word limit as detailed in the criteria, as the system will truncate your text.

This is space for you to list your audio tracklist, which is especially important if you are submitting a series of audio clips. Keep this concise and add information to give context to each specific clip, including timecodes where relevant to help the judges understand what they are listening to. Do not use this space to tell the wider story of your entry, which should go in the supporting statement.

You can submit whatever additional information you think is relevant and will help the judges understand the impact of your work. This could include links, photos, screenshots or anything else that further demonstrates the success of your entry, in line with the guidelines as detailed in each entry. If you wish to submit a video, please provide a link rather than a media file. Note that only the first 2 minutes of any video will be watched. If you’re submitting supporting content URLs, do not send links that require a login otherwise this content may not be viewed by judges.

This is up to individual entrants, but if you are a radio station or radio network you cannot enter into both categories. Please read the criteria and decide which category best fits.

A UK Radio Network is defined as a collection of radio stations that share a common brand and a substantial proportion of their output (over 60% in a typical week). A UK Radio network must cover over 60% of the UK. Individual stations in a network which are entered into this category are not eligible to enter the Local Radio Station of the Year award.

Content which is broadcast only on brand-extensions of a main parent station, should not be included in that parent station’s entry for UK Station or Network of the Year. The brand-extension stations themselves can be entered separately. The full breadth of a brand and extension can of course be reflected in the Audio Brand of the year category.

Local stations which are affiliated to a brand, but which are under separate ownership to the brand itself and its network infrastructure, are not eligible to enter the UK Network Station or Audio Brand award, but are eligible to enter the Local Radio Station of the Year award.

Yes, you must be a member of The Radio Academy in order to enter a category. Memberships are available at radioacademy.org/membership

Interpretation of the entry guidelines shall be at the discretion of the Chair of Judges, who may make adjustments and clarifications as deemed necessary, and their decision is final.

Early Bird (until 16th Jan)           £45 (ex VAT)
Standard pricing                           £65 (ex VAT)

We've also teamed up with Podcasting Seriously to provide support to independent BIPOC and LGBTQ+ audio producers.  The Podcasting Seriously Awards Fund accepts reimbursement applications on a rolling basis year-round.  For more information visit podcastingseriously.com/fund

No, we have simplified the entry process and now for all categories you are free to select audio from any episode which best represents your programme.