2022 Grand Awards go to BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live, Magnum Opus Broadcasting, and BMP Audio

New York, NY – April 26, 2022: New York Festivals® Radio Awards announced the 2022 Storytellers Gala award-winners. Innovative audio work created by world-class storytellers from 24 countries were celebrated at the April 26th Storytellers Gala virtual event.

Creative and compelling audio entries from around the globe were recognized by the 2022 Radio Award Grand Jury including engaging podcasts and audiobooks, masterful dramas, and documentaries, up to the minute news coverage, entertainment and music specials all created by world renowned storytellers. Visit the complete 2022 Radio Awards winners’ showcase HERE.

RTÉ Ireland, the international radio network, was honored with the Broadcaster of Year Award. Captivating award-winning entries awarded gold trophies include: “Sing! Dublin's Gay and Lesbian Choir” and “One Day / Lá Dá Raibh” (RTE Lyric FM), “Mamó, By Sara Keating, Read By Ingrid Craigie” and “Documentary on One: L'Agression” (RTÉ Radio 1). 

Welcoming the award, RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said: “We are honoured that our radio stations and programmes, as well as our people, have been recognised among such prestigious company by the New York Festivals Radio Awards. While radio is evolving rapidly in a very competitive media landscape, it continues to occupy a special place in the lives of our listeners who come to us, not just for vital news and information, but to plug into the life and culture of this country across arts and entertainment, music and performance, drama, factual documentaries, sport and so much more. It is important that we continue to satisfy the clear appetite for authentic, diverse and original local content and provide a valuable platform for our talent. Congratulations to all this year's nominees."

HarperCollins Publishers UK was honored with the 2022 Radio Production Company of the Year the Year Award for their exceptional audiobooks. Gold trophy winning work includes “Lord of the Rings,” “Gangsta Granny Strikes Again,” and “Einstein the Penguin.”

“We are delighted to be recognised with the Production Company of the Year Award. This is a wonderful testament to a landmark year for the HarperCollins Audio team, with standout productions across a wide range of genres. We’ve been able to work with some of the most talented actors of the day, as well as highlight brand new talent from diverse backgrounds, and bring together incredible casts to make our recordings truly memorable.”—Fionnuala Barrett, Audio Publishing Director, HarperCollins UK

2022 Grand Awards

“Have You Heard George’s Podcast?” - from BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live - Narrative/Documentary Podcast. BBC’s award-winning podcast is a genre-defying, award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast that delivers a fresh take on inner city life through a mix of storytelling, music, and fiction.

“If you haven’t ’Heard George’s Podcast?’, you need to. In this latest Chapter 3, George the Poet and producer Benbrick continue to raise the creative bar, beautifully showing the possibility and power of audio to tell important stories, and in particular stories of Black life and music. They also collaborated with the BBC Concert Orchestra, which must be the first time a full orchestra has recorded the score to a podcast series, and all achieved during strict lockdown conditions. We’re really proud of Have You Heard George’s Podcast? and delighted it’s the second year in a row that a BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds podcast has been awarded the Grand Jury Prize.” —Dylan Haskins, Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live

“U.Me: The Musical” - Magnum Opus Broadcasting - Best Original Music. The Grand award-winning new original musical created especially for the BBC World Service is a love story for radio and podcast tells the story of two young people on opposite sides of the world who meet online and make a true connection.

"I think the overall message the project gave us at Magnum Opus Broadcasting, was of the power of collaboration: especially in a socially distanced, locked down world. londontheatrereviews.co.uk described U.Me: The Musical as: “without a doubt… the most creative and inspiring piece of art produced by the devastating effects of this pandemic. Whether that's the case or not, it's a 'piece of art' designed to offer hope; and it couldn't have done so without that collaborative process. And if the pandemic taught us anything, maybe it's that collaboration - in the arts, medicine, or whatever sphere - can overcome many, seemingly insurmountable, obstacles." –Lewis Borg-Cardona, Producer, Magnum Opus Broadcasting

“The Sounds of America” BMP Audio - Culture & The Arts. BMP Audio’s Peabody award-winning series, The Sounds of America showcases some of the works selected for the National Recording Registry which selects 25 works each year to preserve for all time. BMP’s award-winning documentary series earned the 2022 Grand Award.

“We're thrilled to be honored with the Grand Award for The Sounds of America radio series! The series profiles audio recordings preserved at The National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Recognizing recordings that made a significant impact on American culture!  What better way to pay tribute to our audio heritage than through audio storytelling.”—Ben Manila, Founder/Executive Producer, & Jennie Cataldo, Producer, BMP Audio

New York Festivals Storytellers Gala honored Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports with the twelfth annual New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award.  Greg Gumbel, television sportscaster for CBS Sports presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. McManus

Podcasts from around the globe engaged listeners in a wide range of genres. Gold trophy winners include “American Radical” (NBC News), “9-11 Janice Brooks, the South Tower” (Sky News Radio), “Jaleh's Drive For Freedom” (ABC Radio National), “Sounds of the Moana” (Centre for New Zealand Music Trust), “Vital Signs - My Mind Is Terrorizing Me” (SiriusXM), “Embrace Everything - The World of Gustav Mahler” (Aaron Cohen Productions), “The Effect” (B7 Media /Audible), “My Only Story: Back to School” (Media24 & My Only Story NPC), “Interprètes afghans : partir ou mourir (Afghan Interpreters: Leave or Die)” (Radio-Canada), “Before–After: The 1972 Bulltofta Hijacking” (Sveriges Radio), The Greatest Menace” (Lockdown Productions /Audible), “Tender” (Broadwave), “The Lake” (Popsock Media), and “False Idol” (Religion of Sports).

Audio Books captivated listeners. Entries earning Gold include “Lord of the Rings,” “Gangsta Granny Strikes Again,” and “Einstein the Penguin” (HarperCollins Publishers), “A Slow Fire Burning” (Penguin Random House UK), and “Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon Audiobook” (Pushkin Industries).

Captivating documentaries celebrated compelling non-fiction narratives explored through sound.  Gold trophy-winning work includes “King Louis The First Of Britain” (6Foot6 Productions), “Encounters - Stories about our Natural World” (Regan Hutchins), “Stuff The British Stole” (Marc Fennell), “Virgin Radio Pride” (Virgin Radio UK), “Game of Empires. Malvinas 1982: Colonized by the Dictatorship” (National Radio from Argentine. The Public Radio), “The Doc Project - The Skyluck Journals” (CBC), “The Let It Be Story” (Howlett Media Productions Ltd.), and “The Long Haul: Texas and The Pandemic” (Texas Standard).

Enthralling entertainment entries earned Gold including “U.Me: The Musical” (Magnus Opus Broadcasting), “Major Events” (Sveriges Radio),  Silver trophy winners: “Exonerated with Clay Cane“ (SiriusXM ), “Enoch Arden, From The Balcony Of ICI Premier “ (Radio-Canada), and “The Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen - season two” (Roundstone Media Ltd). Sound entries earning Silver: “JUKEBOX | 25 Miniatures” (Götz Naleppa) and “Movies and Musicals with Aedín Gormley: Sondheim Special” (RTE Lyric FM).

Breaking news coverage, features and investigative reports from broadcasters around the globe earned Gold: “Assault On The US Capitol” and “The Fall of Afghanistan” (CBS News), “The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout” (KUT 90.5), and “Third Squad: After Afghanistan” (Airloom Media).  Silver winners include “Mina Smallman, For All Women” (BBC Radio 4), and “My Name is Joe McDonnell, Hunger Striker” (Ocean FM).

All Entries in the 2022 competition were judged online by NYF’s Radio Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe.

New York Festivals announced 2022’s award-winning entries at the 2022 Storytellers Gala virtual event on April 26th at 6PM EST. All winning entries are showcased on the Radio Awards winners’ gallery.

This is the twelfth year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB show.

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