On the Shortlist: Pure Energy – Taylor Swift (Aramco – MPD), Chasing Basketball Heaven (ESPN), Sea of Lies (CBC), Céline Dion: l’amour à D’eux (Radio-Canada), 48 Hours: Post Mortem (CBS News), Paul McCartney: Beatles And Beyond (Magnum Opus Broadcasting) and Alternate Realities (NPR)
The New York Festivals®(NYF) 2026 Radio Awards proudly announces the 2026 Radio Awards Shortlist.
Innovative audio storytelling from creators across six continents was carefully evaluated by the New York Festivals 2026 Radio Awards Grand Jury. This year’s shortlist reflects the breadth of the medium, featuring entries across audiobooks, podcasts, drama, documentary, breaking news, entertainment, and music, submitted by global networks, production companies, and independent storytellers.
Compelling entries in the Entertainment category include Pure Energy – Taylor Swift (Aramco – MPD), VOX (Sveriges Radio), Céline Dion: l’amour à D’eux (Radio-Canada), The Radio Run (Tipp FM), Les miracles ordinaires (Ordinary Miracles) (Radio-Canada), Help From His Friends: Ringo Starr And His All-Starr Band (SiriusXM), Waiting for Waiting For Godot (Dora Productions), Eclectica – Zimmer (Aramco – MPD), Wolf Valley (Almost Tangible), Dragon’s Return to the Homeland (Radio Television Hong Kong & Guangzhou Broadcasting Network), The Skewer (Unusual Productions), Newstalk 33AD (CBA Trust), and Into the Sun (SRF Swiss Radio and Television).
In the Children/Young Adult category, advancing entries include The Tomb of the Deep and Prankligan (Sveriges Radio), Welcome to Hope Springs, Season 1: “A Grand Opening” (Augustine Institute), and The Crazy Kiwi Christmas Kids Show (CBA).
Standout documentary entries explored powerful global and personal stories through in-depth storytelling. Advancing entries include The Current / Audio Doc Unit “Hard to Swallow” (CBC), Paul McCartney: Beatles And Beyond (Magnum Opus Broadcasting), Uncuffed Season 4 (KALW Public Media), Le loro prigioni – Their prisons (Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana), Fallout: Spies on Norfolk Island (SBS Australia), The Sounds of America (Accompany Studios), Searching for a German Soldier Father – Riitta’s Story (Sveriges Radio), Futureproof Special: Is There Anybody Out There? (Newstalk), Mary Bourke: Who Cares (Newstalk), Expanse: Nowhere Man (Australian Broadcasting Corp. Sydney), Division Street Revisited (Mary & Melissa Productions), CBC Atlantic/Audio Doc Unit – The Best of Planners (CBC), Fingertip Chefs: Cooking My Life (BeFM (Busan English Broadcasting), All That Remains (CBC Radio ONE), The Forgotten Migration (Chris Nikkel), and The Network (Futuro Media Group).
Music Documentaries shortlisted include The Beatles Anthology: In The Studio (Howlett Media Productions Ltd.), The Song Detectorists (Rhubarb Rhubarb), Histoires de voix (Radio-Canada), Women Who Rock! (Bengo Media), Rory Gallagher. Bad Penny – A Radio Documentary (Radio Nova 100), and Herb Alpert on World Cafe with Stephen Kallao (WXPN).
View the 2026 Shortlist.
Podcast entries continued to gain momentum in 2026, spanning a wide range of categories including Culture, Drama, News, Sports, Social Justice, Education, Investigative Journalism, Health, Comedy, Business, and Technology.
Engaging podcast entries advancing to the shortlist include 48 Hours: Post Mortem (CBS News), Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a masterpiece, period (CBC), The Weekly Show (Paramount), The Poppy Day Bomb (The Times & Sunday Times), Sea of Lies (CBC, What’s the Story Sounds), Heat List (Wondery), The Global Jigsaw (BBC World Service ), Kate Moss presents ‘David Bowie: Changeling’ (Zinc Media), Eras: Phil Collins (Cup & Nuzzle), Discovery Series – The Bog Bodies (Forsman & Bodenfors), The BelTel (Irish Independent), Corked (Marc Fennel / Audible), American Shrapnel (Alabama Media Group), Number Stations – Le radio delle spie – The Spy Radio (Rai Radiotelevisione italiana), The Saints (Nine Network Australia), Crying Wolf (Chalk and Blade), The Big Take Podcast: They Voted for Trump. (Bloomberg Podcasts), Alternate Realities (National Public Radio), Arachnid: Hunting the web’s darkest secrets (TVO Media Education Group), Understood: Who Broke the Internet Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal (Echoverse), See You in Court (CBC), and A Very Autistic Christmas (Lighthouse Studios).
Leading Sports Podcasts advancing to the shortlist include Chasing Basketball Heaven (ESPN), Players – Trans im Fußball (Deutschlandfunk), The Deal (Bloomberg Podcasts), Indo Sport: A Closer Look | The stabbing of Monica Seles (Irish Independent), and Pablo Torre Finds Out (Meadowlark Media).
From thought-provoking storytelling to innovative audio experiences, audiobook entries rose above the rest, moving forward to the trophy round.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc had five entries advance, including Super Great Kids’ Stories, Bog Queen by Anna North (read by Lily Newmark), The Loves of My Life by Edmund White (read by Joel Froomkin), Cry For Me, Argentina written and read by Tamara Yajia, and Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper. HarperCollins Publishers had four shortlisted entries: A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder, Fly, Wild Swans, A Small Matter of Impending Catastrophe, and This Way Up. Penguin Random House UK had two entries advance Don’t Let Him In and There Is No Antimemetics Division.
Additional audiobooks advancing include C’est mon cerveau! and Baignades (Radio-Canada), Slučaj vlastite pogibelji (Audio Store Transonica), Swan Number Nine (Radio Taiwan International), and Pippi Longstocking (Sveriges Radio).
News Programs and Feature Reports shortlisted include five entries from Hot102.7 Childhood Matters, Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall, Lost on Memory Lane, Robot Wars. The CBC had three entries advance: The House: Inside Canada’s Last-Ditch Efforts, World Report – Canada Hosts G7 Leaders, and Mainstreet PEI: Kindergarten to Grade 12 – Lessons in Life. Al Jazeera English Online saw two episodes of True Crime Reports shortlisted.
NPR News advanced with its three-part series on Syria’s White Helmets, along with Central Asia’s Boogie Nights. Television Hong Kong – Chinese News and Current Affairs Section) and Tout terrain (Radio-Canada).
Excellence in live sound, original music, sound design, writing, interview, and editing advanced, including Four Seasons With Pekka Kuusisto and Che Fu and Auckland Philharmonia (RNZ), “Judd Apatow” (CBC), The Pack (ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), Wolf Valley (Almost Tangible), Maveli Mood (Club FM), Into the Sun (SRF Swiss Radio and Television), P.O.V. (Lead Mojo), Scream – Existence (SiriusXM), and Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues (Blade Art House Media).
NYF’s Radio Awards welcomes entries from radio stations, networks, and independent producers across 30+ countries. Its mission is to recognize and elevate the exceptional work of the creators shaping today’s global audio storytelling landscape.
The 2026 National Press Club Award will go to the highest scoring entry in these news program categories: Coverage of Breaking News Story, Coverage Of Ongoing News Story, Nonfiction Series, Investigative Journalism podcast, and News Podcast. This year’s award winner will be announced during the New York Festivals 2026 Storytellers Gala virtual event on May 21, 2026.
For 69 years, the New York Festivals Radio Awards has provided a global platform to celebrate world-class storytellers. Since 1957, the competition has honored innovation and excellence in broadcast audio content across all genres and platforms, continuously evolving alongside industry developments and global trends.
Entries for the 2026 Radio Awards were rigorously evaluated by the esteemed Radio Awards Grand Jury, a panel of 100 standout audio innovators from 20 countries, reflecting the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of global storytelling.
Entries for the 2026 Radio Awards were rigorously evaluated by the esteemed Radio Awards Grand Jury, a panel of over 100 standout audio innovators from 20 countries, reflecting the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of global storytelling. Submissions were judged on the following set of criteria: production values, creativity, content presentation, direction, writing, achievement of purpose and audience suitability.
Award-winning entries will be announced during the New York Festivals 2026 Storytellers Gala virtual event on May 21, 2026. The virtual event will include featured global audio and video highlights, award winners’ acceptance speeches from around the world, and up-close and personal spotlights featuring some of radio and television’s most respected storytellers.
Award-winning entries for 2026 competition will be showcased at the Radio Awards winners gallery.
View the 2026 Shortlist.