The Radio Academy has announced its nominees for the 2024 ARIAS – the ‘Oscars’ of the radio industry – and we have received eleven nominations across nine categories.
The shortlisted entries were announced at a ceremony at News UK’s headquarters near London Bridge on 26 March. Our nominations are:
Best New Radio Show – Takeover Tuesdays
Every week, the National Prison Radio team visits a different prison to make a day’s worth of programmes. Broadcasting on a Tuesday!
Best Speech Presenter – Zak and Jules
The hosts of our Life After Prison podcast follow up last year’s win in the Best New Presenter category by being shortlisted against the best broadcasters in the business.
Best New Presenter – Ali Ali
The presenter of our breakfast show Porridge, Ali was released from prison a few years ago after discovering a talent for radio in our project inside HMP Brixton. Now he’s a full-time member of staff and an ARIAS nominee!
Best Music Entertainment Show – Free Flow and National Prison Radio’s Rock Show
Free Flow is Lady Unchained’s weekly show encouraging listeners to get creative with lyrics, to a soundtrack of beats. The Rock Show is hosted by the inimitable James Phillips, a former ARIAS gold winner. He developed his skill for radio production with us during a sentence at HMP Coldingley.
Best Specialist Music Show – Free Flow
A second successive nomination in this category. Last year we missed out on an award. Can we pick one up this year?
Best Drama – A Proposal For Resisting Darkness
A partnership with our friends at Clean Break theatre company. Written by women in HMP Downview, starring a cast including women who have been to prison and come out the other side.
Best Commercial Partnership – Free Flow with Shannon Trust
Sponsored by the amazing Shannon Trust, who work to help people in prison improve their literacy. We add the creative sparkle. It’s a wonderful partnership.
The Creative Innovation Award – National Prison Radio’s Rock Show and Takeover Tuesdays
We make radio in difficult, limiting circumstances. It means we have to be extra creative with our formats and productions. James’s Rock Show includes vignettes scripted by him, delivered with AI-generated voices. Takeover Tuesdays allows us to broadcast the voices of as many of our listeners as possible.
The Grassroots Award – Life After Prison
Our smash hit podcast for people who have left prison, hosted by Zak and Jules.
Last year, we took home an incredible four awards, including a Gold award for Life After Prison podcast presenters Zak and Jules. They were crowned Best New Presenters at the 2023 ARIAS.
Jules announced the nominees for this year’s Best New Presenter category.
This is the most nominations the Prison Radio Association has ever received, and this type of recognition from our peers in The Radio Academy is valuable acknowledgement of the world-class quality of our work. We find ourselves among the best in the business.
The ARIAS will take place on 7 May, hosted by Alice Levine & Romesh Ranganathan at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London.
National Prison Radio broadcasts in to prison cells across England and Wales. It aims to support a reduction in reoffending, by inspiring and informing people in prison.
