Nominations announced for the 2023 Audio Production Awards

Comedian, Nish Kumar, and journalist, Coco Khan, presenters of the Pod Save the UK podcast, have been confirmed as hosts for this year’s Audio Production Awards ceremony to be held on Wednesday 22nd November.

The Awards, sponsored by Audible, will be held at a gala evening at the BFI on London’s South Bank, and tickets for the Awards are on sale here: tinyurl.com/APAs-tickets

The APAs, organised by AudioUK (the trade body which provides business support and growth to people who make podcasts, radio and audiobooks), celebrate outstanding achievement in audio production across a huge range of audio content including; podcasts, audiobooks, sound design, radio, presenting and more.

The prestigious Producer of the Year category, sponsored by Audible, was as hotly contested as ever, nominees include: Anishka Sharma, Bea Duncan, Jack Suddaby, Katie Callin, Ruth Abrahams and Steven Rajam.

Presenter and new voice category nominees include newcomer Kwesia aka City Girl in Nature for Peanut & Crumb’s Get Birding Podcast, BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders for his radio show Future Artists, and James Grasby for the National Trust’s Podcast.

Dramatised audiobook producers, Behear, based in York, are just one of the nominees for the Amazon Music & Wondery Grassroots Production Award, alongside Transmission Roundhouse Podcast Academy and Prison Radio Association who also received a further nomination for Production Company of the Year.

Meanwhile Paapa Essiedu and Kerry Godliman both received a nomination for Best Narrator, and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Kurupt FM, and Help I Sexted My Boss cast, William Hanson and Jordan North, are just some of the nominees for the Best Ensemble Cast Award.

Chloe Straw, Managing Director of AudioUK, said:

“It is such a pleasure every year for us to get the opportunity to celebrate the deep production talent that we have in the UK, which is among the best in the world. The awards remain unique in that the focus is on the people who are involved in making audio content, and we are able to celebrate the expertise and talent, which so often goes on behind the scenes, to craft such brilliant work.

I am as excited as you to see the nominations, the judges do an excellent job of listening to the work and discussing who should be nominated - many a debate has I’m sure taken place over the last few weeks. Thanks to all the judges and to Joby Waldman, our excellent Chair of Judges who provides a guiding hand when needed. Thanks also to our EDI consultant Yassine Senghor, who provides unconscious bias training and guidance as part of the judging process.

Thank you to our lead sponsor Audible, their support enables us to put the awards on every year and to celebrate the people who make the audio industry. Thank you to Amazon Music and Wondery, our Pay What You Can Scheme partners, if you are unable to access the awards due to finances, please get in touch for free or discounted tickets. And thank you to our category sponsors, BBC Sounds, Better Help, In:Quality, Morley Radio, The Podcast Show, United Voices, and Why Now Media.”

Joby Waldman, Managing Director of Reduced Listening and Chair of Judges said:

“The APAs are here to recognise the highest standards in the largely unseen world of audio production, and it’s good to see a mixture of established and emerging names on the 2023 nominations list. Big congratulations to all the nominees who are helping shape the future of an industry which is alive with creativity. Looking forward to finding out who distinguishes themselves to take the top spots. See you on the 22nd November!”

Event Information

The Audio Production Awards 2023 will be held at the BFI, London Southbank, on Wednesday 22nd November.

Early bird rates are £65+VAT available until 6 November 2023. After that tickets will be £75+VAT. Included in the ticket price is complimentary wine and beer and a selection of canapés and larger bites served throughout the evening.

Tickets are on sale here: tinyurl.com/APAs-tickets

The Pay What You Can Scheme, supported by Amazon Music and Wondery, is available again for freelancers and individuals who would otherwise find the cost of a ticket a barrier to attending. Email katie@audioproductionawards.co.uk for further information on accessing a free or discounted ticket. Tickets are limited and based on a first-come first-served basis.

This year, AudioUK has teamed up with The Entry Level Audio Network to hold a pre-Awards ceremony mixer for people who do not know many others in the audio industry, are attending alone, or who find larger events challenging. For more details and to sign up, please go to: tinyurl.com/ELAN-APA-tickets

Audio Production Awards 2023 Nominees

Best Audiobook Producer

Caroline Raphael - Dora Productions
Christopher Thompson - Penguin Random House
Jessica Beck - The Guardian
Laura-Leigh Smith - String & Tins
Lily Ridett - Freelance
Nathan Freeman - Granny Eats Wolf

Best Arts & Culture Producer

Becca Bryers - BBC Audio
Geoff Bird - Freelance
Jack Suddaby - Beautiful Strangers
Michael Umney - Freelance
Natalie Steed - Rhubarb Rhubarb Ltd
Peter Curran - The Foghorn Company

Best Lifestyle & Society Producer Sponsored by Better Help

Bea Duncan - Broccoli Productions
Beth Madden - Prison Radio Association
Jack Suddaby - Beautiful Strangers
Ruth Abrahams - The Guardian
Ryan Winders - This Is Distorted
Sylvie Carlos - Freelance

Best Branded Content Producer

Adam Venton - Little Monster Media
Arthur Hagues - Prison Radio Association
Daniel Prior - Absolute Radio Network Geoff Bird - Freelance
James Stodd - Greatest Hits Radio
Natalie Steed - Rhubarb Rhubarb Ltd

Best New Producer Sponsored by BBC Sounds

Becky Green - Audio Always
Jill Achineku - Whistledown Productions
Sam Tyler - There Are No Greater Heroes
Silvia Malnati - Reduced Listening
Talia Augustidis - Broccoli Productions/Freelance
Tess Davidson - Freelance

Best Comedy Producer (Gethin Thomas Award)

Joe Fraser - Baby Cow
Jon Homes - unusual
Lance Dann - Rezilience Ltd
Lyndsay Fenner - Mighty Bunny
Matt Thomas - Audio Always
Simon Nicholls - Freelance

Best Entertainment Producer

Amy Johnson - BBC Radio 1
David Manero - Listen
James Payne - Folding Pocket
Kay Hutchison - Belle Media Ltd
Lucy Hunt - Listen
Matt Thomas - Audio Always

Best Drama & Fiction Producer

Anishka Sharma - Freelance
David Beck - Wireless Theatre Company
Isobel Pietsch - Rooks Nest
Jack Bowman - Freelance
Nicholas Jackson - Afonica
Nicholas Newton - Promenade Productions

Best Ensemble Cast

Betty Glover, Christian Hewgill & Greg James - The Fast and the Curious
Coco Khan and Nish Kumar - Pod Save the UK
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders - Titting About
Kurupt FM
The Ensemble Cast of Bess Loves Porgy
William Hanson and Jordan North - Help I Sexted My Boss

Best Music Producer

Bradley Duggan - Listen
Gabriel Francis - Reduced Listening
Katie Callin - Reduced Listening
Shreni Yajnik - Listen
Silas Gray - Freelance
Tom Whalley - Freelance

Best Narrator sponsored by United Voices

Eva Feiler - Almost Tangible
Kerry Godliman - Wondery
Kristin Atherton - HarperCollins Publishers
Natasha Miller - Miller Libertine
Oliver Jeffers - HarperCollins Publishers
Paapa Essiedu - Audible Studios

Best News & Current Affairs Producer

Alex Bishop - Reduced Listening
James Shield - The Times and The Sunday Times
James Tindale - Whistledown Productions
Rebecca Kesby - CTVC
Ruth Abrahams - The Guardian
Will Roe - The Times and The Sunday Times

Best Factual Producer

Anishka Sharma - Freelance
Arlie Adlington - Overcoat Media
Dan Tierney - BBC Audio North
Joe Kent - BBC News Long Form Audio
Phoebe McIndoe - Falling Tree Productions
Scarlett O’Malley - Little Cactus

Best Presenter sponsored by Morley Radio

Catherine Carr - Loftus Media
Jack Saunders - Listen
James Grasby - National Trust
Justin Dealey - BBC Three Counties Radio
Niall Paterson - Sky News
Scarlett O’Malley - Freelance/Little Cactus

Best Sound Design Producer

Emma Barnaby - Freelance
Jack Suddaby - Beautiful Strangers
Jon Holmes & Tony Churnside - unusual
Jon Nicholls - Almost Tangible
Jonn Wakefield - Hat Trick Nicholas Alexander - Novel

Best New Voice sponsored by BBC Sounds

Agnes Chambre - Politico/Whistledown Ali Ali - Prison Radio Association Coco Khan - Reduced Listening Kwesia aka City Girl in Nature - Peanut & Crumb Natasha Miller - Miller Libertine
Phoebe McIndoe - Falling Tree Productions

Best Sports Producer sponsored by In:Quality

Abi Paterson - The Athletic
Adonis Pratsides - The Athletic
Justin Dealey - BBC Three Counties Studio
Katie Sayer - unusual/Pozzitive
Matt Tasker - Audio Always
Sarah Stolarz - Chalk + Blade

The Amazon Music & Wondery Grassroots Production Award
Behear Ltd
Jack Suddaby - Time & Again Made by Mortals - Armchair Adventures Multitrack Prison Radio Association Transmission Roundhouse Podcast Academy

The Sustainability Award

Audible Originals - Climate of Change Season 2 Eloise Stevens - Sustainability Acupuncture
Erin MacIndoe Sproule - Climate Vision 2050
Sarah Craig - Toughie
Talia Randall - Blossom Trees & Burnt Out Cars
Whistledown Productions - Our Broken Planet

Producer of the Year sponsored by Audible

Anishka Sharma - Freelance Bea Duncan - Broccoli Productions Jack Suddaby - Beautiful Strangers Katie Callin - Reduced Listening Ruth Abrahams - The Guardian & Whistledown Productions Steven Rajam - Overcoat Media

Production Company of the Year sponsored by Why Now Media

Audible Studios UK Fresh Air Overcoat Media Prison Radio Association Reduced Listening TellTale

Publisher or Network of the Year

Audible
BBC Asian Network
Podimo
Resonance
The Economist Podcasts Wondery