Audio Production Awards 2020 winners announced

The winners for the Audio Production Awards 2020 have been announced during an online ceremony hosted by Jeremy Vine and Snoochie Shy.

It was a good night for George the Poet and producer Benbrick as they collectively won four Gold awards for ‘Have you heard George’s Podcast?’

This included Benbrick winning ‘Best Arts Producer’ with the judges saying: “We were simply blown away by the originality of this audio. It mixed amazing topics with a unique soundscape, and was outstandingly creative”.

Elsewhere BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne won Gold for ‘Best Presenter – Music’. Mark Kermode won Silver in that category for his Scala Radio show, while Radio 1Xtra’s Snoochie Shy, who co-hosted the APAs with Jeremy Vine, picked up the Bronze award.

Gordon Lundy won ‘Best Station Producer’ for the Audio Content Fund-financed ‘Absolute Radio 40s’, specially produced to mark the 75th anniversary of VE day.

The ‘Lifetime Achievement Award went to Annie Nightingale, in recognition of her 50-year career at BBC Radio 1, where she remains on air with 1Xtra.

And the special Gold Award went to the online radio station No Signal, which champions the many different forms of black music, including scheduling ‘clashes’ between different DJs, some of which had over 200,000 listeners.

The Gethin Thomas Comedy Award Gold was presented to Jon Holmes/Unusual for ‘The Skewer’, with the judges saying that “Along with impressive creativity, this entry embraced diversity in an impressive way, involving new first time writers and creators.”

AudioUK Chair Kellie While said: “I’d like to offer my congratulations to all the winners and nominees. We’re so pleased at how this event was able to continue during the lockdown period in England, and it was a great night. The APAs team put together a really fun event and it was great to reward people’s hard work in our sector over the last year.”

The new Life in Lockdown Award, which recognises innovative and/or creative production during the COVID-19 restrictions, went to Aoife Allen and ‘Brixton Got Talent’. Made at HMP Brixton by Prison Radio in May, Brixton’s Got Talent featured inmates at HMP Brixton performing rap, song & poetry.

The prestigious ‘Production Company of the Year’ Award went to The Prison Radio Association – which aims to contribute to a reduction in reoffending using the power of radio – also won three Golds, including, and New Voice award for Anthony Olanipekun.

Audio Production Awards 2020 – Full list of Winners and Nominees

Best Arts Producer

Winners

Benbrick – ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’, Benbrick Music / George The Poet Ltd – Gold

Steven Rajam – Freelance – Silver

Anishka Sharma – Whistledown Productions – Bronze

Also Nominated

Claire Crofton – Freelance

Cathy FitzGerald – White Stiletto Productions

Victoria Ferran – Just Radio Ltd

Best Music Producer

Winners

Victoria Ferran – Just Radio Ltd – Gold

Jesse Howard – Somethin’ Else – Silver

Emma Louise Amanshia – ‘1Xtra Rap Show’, BBC – Bronze

Also Nominated

Rich Attley – TBI Media

Benbrick – ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’, Benbrick Music / George The Poet Ltd

Nathan Goodman – We Are Grape

Best News and Current Affairs Producer

Winners

Tim Johns – BBC Audio – Gold

Josh Kelly – ‘Today in Focus’, The Guardian – Silver

Asya Fouks – ‘Stories of our Times’, The Times – Bronze

Also Nominated

Jessica Beck – ‘World At One’, BBC Radio 4

Robert Nicholson – Whistledown Productions

James Shield – The Times & The Sunday Times

Best Sports Producer

Winners

Ed Morrish – Freelance – Gold

Steve Hankey – Whistledown Productions – Silver

Abi Paterson – Muddy Knees Media – Bronze

Also Nominated

Megan Hill-Smith – Mags Creative

Ben Mundy – BBC Newsbeat

Best Presenter – Speech

Winners

George The Poet – ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’, Benbrick Music / George The Poet Ltd’ – Gold

Laura Whitmore – TBI Media – Silver

Anushka Asthana – ‘Today in Focus’, The Guardian – Bronze

Also Nominated

Hilary Ineomo-Marcus – Prison Radio Association – Highly Commended

Elis James & John Robins – Audio Always

Elinor Hamilton – ‘Tales from the Tannoy’, Tadah Media

Audio Performer of the Year

Winners

Ciaran Hinds – ‘Imaginary Fred’, HarperCollins Publishers – Gold

Carl Prekopp – ‘The Little Match Girl’, Almost Tangible – Silver

Cherylee Houston – ‘Tinsel Girl’, Penguin Random House – Bronze

Also Nominated

Nathan Osgood – HarperCollins Publishers – Highly Commended

Kristin Atherton – ‘Howls Moving Castle’, HarperCollins Publishers

Glenda Jackson – ‘Blood, Sex & Money’, BBC Audio (Penguin Random House)

Yuriri Naka – ‘The Phonebox at the Edge of the World’, Bonnier Books UK

Best Live Event/Outside Broadcast Producer

Winners

Jenny Eells and Kat Harbourne – ‘The Naked Podcast’, BBC Radio Sheffield – Gold

Trevor Dann – ‘Virtual Strawberry Fair’, Cambridge 105 Radio – Silver

Ben Walker – ‘Dermot’s Saturday Breakfast Festival Season’, Ora Et Labora – Bronze

Also Nominated

Mark Carter – ‘Surrey Day 2020’, BBC Radio Surrey

Best Podcast Producer *Sponsored by Acast*

Winners

Benbrick – ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’, Benbrick Music / George The Poet Ltd – Gold

Cherry Wilson & Duncan Middleton – ‘The Story of Joy Morgan’ – BBC Newsbeat – Silver

Rayhan Rahman – ‘Brown Girls Do It Too’, BBC Asian Network – Bronze

Also Nominated

Kat Harbourne – ‘The Naked Podcast’, BBC Radio Sheffield

Max O’Brien – ‘The Bellingcat Podcast’, Novel

Anishka Sharma – Whistledown Productions

Gold Award

Presented to:

No Signal

Best Drama Producer

Winners

Celia De Wolff – Pier Productions Ltd – Gold

Ben Walker – Storyglass – Silver

Roshan Singh – ‘Temujin: An Audio Drama’ – Bronze

Best Factual Producer *Sponsored by Audio Content Fund*

Winners

Max O’Brien – ‘The Bellingcat Podcast’, Novel – Gold

Peter Sale – Freelance – Silver

Cherry Wilson & Duncan Middleton – ‘The Story of Joy Morgan’ – BBC Newsbeat – Bronze

Also Nominated

Jessica Beck – ‘World At One’, BBC Radio 4

Dan Hardoon – Whistledown

Emma Weatherill – ‘Nut Jobs’, Audible Originals

Best New Producer

Winners

Emma Barnaby – Whistledown Productions – Gold

Bridey Addison-Child – Transmission Roundhouse – Silver

Thomas Curry – Novel – Bronze

Also Nominated

Louisa Adams – Prison Radio Association 

Jessica Beck – ‘World at One’, BBC Radio 4

Courtney Yusuf – The Guardian

Best Sound Designer

Winners

Benbrick – ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’, Benbrick Music / George The Poet Ltd  – Gold

Eloise Whitmore – ‘Tunnel 29’, Naked Productions – Silver

Jon Holmes & Tony Churnside – The Skewer, Unusual – Bronze

Also Nominated

Steve Bond – Freelance

Rich Evans – Syncbox Post

Mark Pittam – TBI Media

Grassroots Production Award

Winners

Prison Radio Association – Gold

Vent Podcasts – Silver

The Log Books – Bronze

Also Nominated

Gusman Productions

Multitrack

New Writing North

Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented to:

Annie Nightingale

New Voice Award

Winners

Anthony Olanipekun – Prison Radio Association – Gold

Izzy Lee-Poulton – Transmission Roundhouse – Silver

Jacob Hawley – BBC Studios – Bronze

Also Nominated

Brenda Birungi – Prison Radio Association

Jordan Dunbar – BBC Radio

Elinor Hamilton – ‘Tales from the Tannoy’, Tadah Media

Life in Lockdown

Winners

Aoife Allen – ‘Brixton’s Got Talent’, HMP Brixton – Gold

Ben Green & Abi Paterson – ‘Homeschool History’, Muddy Knees Media – Silver 

Reduced Listening – ‘Lockdown Theatre Festival’ – Bronze

Also Nominated

Izzy Lee-Poulton & Bridey Addison-Child – ‘When Someone Great Is Gone’, Transmission Roundhouse – Highly Commended

Cathy FitzGerald – ‘Life on Lockdown’, White Stiletto Productions

TBI Media & Absolute Radio – ‘Absolute Radio 40s’

Best Presenter – Music

Winners

Lauren Laverne – BBC Radio 6 Music – Gold

Mark Kermode – Scala Radio – Silver

Snoochie Shy – TBI Media – Bronze

Also Nominated

Guy Bellamy – Great Music Stories Radio

Brad Paisley – TBI Media

Best Station Sound Producer

Winners

Gordon Lundy – Absolute Radio 40s – Gold 

Chris Nicoll – WIZZFX – Silver

Mark Jeeves – Scala Radio – Bronze

Also Nominated

Ali Rezakhani – BBC Sounds

Adam Venton – Little Monster Media

Sam Wickens – BBC

Best Audiobook/Readings Producer

Winners

Lily Ridett – RNIB/Freelance – Gold

Roy McMillan – Penguin Random House – Silver

Tanya Hougham – HarperCollins Publishers – Bronze

Also Nominated

Ali Rezakhani – BBC Sounds

Eilidh McCreadie – BBC Scotland

Best Entertainment Producer

Winners

Geoff Jein – TBI Media – Gold

Jacob Rickard – BBC Audio for BBC Radio 1 – Silver

Gareth Evans – ‘Pop Detectives’,  EighteenSixty – Bronze

Also Nominated

Laurence Bassett – Somethin’ Else 

Katie Boden – Somethin’ Else

Adem Waterman – Absolute Radio

Gethin Thomas Award for Best Comedy Producer

Winners

Jon Holmes – ‘The Skewer’, Unusual – Gold

Adnan Ahmed – BBC Studios Audio – Silver

Ed Morrish – Freelance – Bronze

Also Nominated

Marc McElroy – ‘What Happens In Ulster’, BBC Radio Ulster

Simon Nicholls – Freelance

Ben Walker – Fuzz Productions / Storyglass

Production Company of the Year

Winners

Prison Radio Association – Gold

Whistledown Productions – Silver

TBI Media – Bronze

Also Nominated

Fresh Air Productions

Listen Entertainment

Mags Creative