Audio and Radio Industry Awards

The Audio and Radio Industry Awards (ARIAS, ARIAs, or UK ARIAs) are annual awards awarded for excellence in UK radio and audio presenting and production. Established in 2016 by the Radio Academy, they succeeded the Radio Academy Awards, the academy's honours system of 1983 to 2014 (there were no awards for 2015). They are awarded for productions in the previous calendar year. In contrast to many other media award ceremonies, three winners are selected by judging panels for each category and graded Gold, Silver or Bronze.

In May 2019 the Young ARIAs were inaugurated at the BBC Radio Theatre in London in a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 1's Matt Edmondson and Kiss FM host Daisy Maskell. The very next year they were rebranded as the Young Audio Awards.

Notable omissions

Since their launch, the Audio and Radio Industry Awards have been shunned by the biggest commercial radio group in the UK, Global Radio. Although the Radio Academy is not supported by Global Radio this does not preclude it from entering programmes or presenters from its stations, namely Heart, Capital, LBC, Capital Xtra, Classic FM, Smooth Radio, Radio X or Gold.

ARIAs 2016

Nominations for the 16 inaugural award categories were unveiled on 19 September 2016 by Radio 1's Scott Mills and Pandora Christie of Kiss FM. The shortlist for each category was limited to five nominees.

ARIAs 2017

Nominations were revealed on 18 September 2017 by Virgin Radio presenters Kate Lawler and Matt Richardson. The number of categories was increased to 23, each with a shortlist of six nominees.

ARIAs 2018

Nominations were revealed on 17 September 2018 by Capital South Wales presenters Matt Lissack and Polly James. New categories introduced this year included Best Local Radio Show, Funniest Show, Best Commercial Promotion and Best Station Sound.

ARIAs 2019

Fallow year (no awards ceremony was held in 2019).

ARIAs 2020

The awards ceremony was moved to a spring slot from its traditional autumn fixture and took place at The London Palladium. Nominations were revealed on 15 January 2020.

ARIAs 2021

The nominees were announced on 21 April 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the 2021 awards ceremony was an hybrid event with just 100 invited guests in a small theatre at The May Fair Hotel. In recognition of content produced to support audiences in lockdown, new categories included The Creative Innovation Award, The Impact Award and The 2020 Special Award.

ARIAs 2022

The nominees were announced on 5 April 2022. The awards ceremony was once again a live in-person event after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Ivor Norvello Award-winning Tom Odell and two-time BRIT award-winning Heather Small both performed at the awards, with Heather Small opening the ceremony. This year marked the inaugural Pioneer Award, which was bestowed on Janice Long.

ARIAs 2023

The nominees were announced on 30 March 2023. Two award categories were retired; Best Independent Podcast and Best Marketing Campaign, and replaced by four new categories; Best Community Station of the Year, Best Audiobook or Reading and a split of Best New Show into Best New Radio Show and Best New Podcast. In addition, Best Fictional Storytelling which in previous years had included readings became Best Drama. There was also a one-off 2022 Special Award recognising audio coverage following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, bringing the total number of awards to 28. A change of venue was also announced.

On 21 April 2023 it was revealed that Tony Blackburn would be receiving this year's Pioneer Award for his near 60 years in broadcasting and contribution to the popularity of soul music in the UK. Tim Blackmore was announced as guest of honour at this years ceremony in recognition of his contribution to radio and audio over the past six decades.

ARIAs 2024

Source:

ARIAs 2025

Full list of nominees

Sources:

Best Commercial Partnership Award

• Dead River – Audio Always for Pogust Goodhead
• Empowering Young Lives – KISS and KFC
• Fun Kids Teacher of the Year with Collection Pot – Fun Kids
• Hold or Fold with GambleAware – Prison Radio Association
• The Mid.Point: Sweaty Betty Special – Spiritland Productions
• Scottish Island Adventures – The Big Light

Best Event Coverage Award

• BBC Proms 2024 – BBC Radio 3
• Coldplay go Orange for Luton – BBC Three Counties Radio
• Coverage of the Paralympics – RNIB Connect Radio
• Forest are Magic – Forest Focus
• Isle of Man TT Races: The TT Podcast – Audio Always
• Magic Celebrates Diwali – Magic Radio
• Radio 1’s Pedal Power for Red Nose Day – BBC Radio 1
• Superscoreboard at EURO 2024 – Clyde 1
• Sycamore Gap: One Year On – National Trust

Best Drama or Fiction Award

• 1984 – Audible
• Central Intelligence – Goldhawk Productions for BBC Radio 4
• Life & Time – BBC Radio 4
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Poirot Mystery – Audible
• One Hundred and Fifty Days – BBC Audio Scotland for BBC Radio 4
• Ruthie Henshall Sees Dead People – Magic Radio
• The Skies Are Watching – Goldhawk Productions for BBC Radio 4
• UNSINKABLE – Datura Studios and North Atlantic Ridge in association with B7 Media and AudioMarvels
• Zeroes – BBC Studios Audio for Audible

Best Comedy Award (Show or Presenter)

• Christmas Dinner with Kurupt FM – Prison Radio Association
• Green Wing: Resuscitated – Audible
• Help I Sexted My Boss – Audio Always
• IM1: 60 Years and Counting, Sadly… – Manx Radio
• Mark Steel’s in Town – BBC Radio 4
• The Menagerie – Radio M29
• The Skewer – Unusual Productions for BBC Radio 4
• Time of the Week – DLT Entertainment for BBC Radio 4
• Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake – Sony Music Entertainment

Best Factual Series Award

• Band Aid at 40 – Gimme Sugar Productions for Virgin Radio
• Country Lines – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 4
• Grenfell: Building a Disaster – BBC Radio 4
• Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Radio 4
• Ken Bruce on Drums – Jazz FM
• Kill List – Novel and Wondery
• The Pitcairn Trial – Audio Always
• The Trapped – ITN / ITV News
• The Story of No. 1: Lauryn Hill’s the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – 100 Best Albums Radio, Apple Music

Best Factual Single Episode Award

• Between the Ears: Henry Mancini – BBC Radio 3
• Black Box – The Guardian
• The Daily T: The Grenfell inquiry that ‘delayed justice’ – The Telegraph
• Deep Hidden Meaning: will.i.am – Apple Music Radio
• Degraded by Deepfakes: File on 4 Investigates – BBC Radio 4
• Esther Ghey & Jaxon Feeley: Reclaiming influence – Virgin Radio Pridecast
• NATO75: An Alliance Rescue – BFBS
• Our Whole Life is a Secret – BBC Radio 4
• The Weekend Intelligence: A Portrait of the Proud Boys – The Economist

Best Music Award (Show or Presenter)

• Annie Nightingale: A Life in Music – We Are Grape for BBC Radio 1
• Radio 1’s Dance Party with Danny Howard – BBC Radio 1
• Classical Connections Radio with Alexis Ffrench – Apple Music Radio
• The Dance Music Archive with Andi Durrant – This is Distorted for KISSTORY
• The Eras Podcast, hosted by Abbie McCarthy – Good Karma
• Free Flow – Prison Radio Association
• Folk on Foot – Matthew Bannister
• Indie Forever – We are Grape for BBC Radio 6 Music
• Phil Taggart’s ChillDaBeats – Slack Panda Productions

Best Music Breakfast Radio Show

• The Bald Builders Breakfast – Fix Radio
• Boogie in the Morning – Forth 1
• Bowie@Breakfast – Clyde 1
• Breakfast – BBC Radio 3
• Breakfast with Greg James – BBC Radio 1
• Breakfast with Nadia Jae – BBC Radio 1Xtra

Best Music Entertainment Award (Show or Presenter)

• Barry Island Discs: Gavin & Stacey’s Big Songs Send Off – BBC Radio Wales
• The Cavern Podcast – The Cavern Club
• Earlier… with Jools Holland – BBC Radio 3
• Gemma Atkinson & Mike Toolan – Hits Radio
• Haroon Rashid – BBC Asian Network
• Hometime with Bush and Richie – Absolute Radio
• Ruthie Henshall Sees Dead People – Magic Radio
• Scott Mills – BBC Radio 2
• The Simon Mayo Drivetime Show – Greatest Hits Radio

Best New Presenter

• Beth Wallace – Forth 1
• Bronwen Lewis – BBC Radio Wales
• Chance Litchfield – Fix Radio
• Emma Nagouse – Muses: An Ampersand Podcast
• Helen Pidd – The Guardian
• May Robson – BBC Sounds Audio Lab
• Niall Breslin – The Madman’s Hotel, Audible
• Phoebe McIndoe – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 4
• Scout Tzofiya Bolton – Prison Radio Association

Best News or Current Affairs Award

• 90 Seconds to Midnight – Daily Mail
• The 2024 ‘Genny Lex’ – KISS
• Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump – Times Radio
• The Boys Are Not Alright – Audio Always for BBC Radio 4
• Electoral Dysfunction – Sky News
• Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Radio 4
• Pod Save The UK – Reduced Listening and Crooked Media
• Sitrep – BFBS
• Southport – BBC Radio Merseyside

Best Sonic Branding Award

• BBC Radio 1
• BBC Radio 2
• BBC Radio 3 Unwind
• Clyde 1 Superscoreboard
• Fix Radio
• Greatest Hits Radio 60s

Best Speech Breakfast Radio Show Award

• 5 Live Breakfast – BBC Radio 5 Live
• The Graham Liver Breakfast Show – BBC Radio Lancashire
• The Kevin Duala Breakfast Show – BBC Radio Merseyside
• talkSPORT Breakfast – talkSPORT
• Times Radio Breakfast – Times Radio
• Today – BBC Radio 4

Best Speech Entertainment Award (Show or Presenter)

• Believe In People: Addiction, Recovery & Stigma – ReNew
• British Scandal – Wondery & Samizdat Audio
• Elis James and John Robins – Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live
• Help I sexted My Boss – Audio Always
• Jon Holmes Says The C-Word – Unusual Productions for BBC Radio 4
• Josie Long – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 4
• The Louis Theroux Podcast – Mindhouse Productions
• Matt Chorley – BBC Radio 5 Live
• Overnights With Martin Kelner – talkSPORT

Best Sports Award (Show or Presenter)

• The Big Scottish Football Show – Forth 1
• From Extinction to Promotion – BBC Radio Derby Sport
• Gameday – talkSPORT
• Guardian Football Weekly – The Guardian
• Men in Blazers: Early Kick Off – Men in Blazers and Footwork Media for Wondery
• P1 with Matt & Tommy – Stak
• Premier League Sunday – BBC Radio 5 Live
• Test Match Special – BBC Radio 5 Live
• White & Jordan – talkSPORT

The Creative or Technical Innovation Award

• 6 Music’s Way with Words – Audio Always for BBC Radio 6 Music
• The Ballad of Scout and the Alcohol Tag – Prison Radio Association
• Fun Kids Space Station – Fun Kids
• Fun Kids Time Machine – Fun Kids
• The Gossip Gays: Who Killed Danny Beard? – Audio Always
• Help I Sexted My Boss, in cinemas – Audio Always
• Lowlines – Social Broadcasts and Scenery Studios
• OUTCAST UK with Graeme Smith – 7th Planet for Virgin Radio Pride
• Sleep Tracks – Peanut & Crumb for BBC Radio 3 Unwind (produced by Alice Boyd and Joy Nkoyo)

The Social Impact Award

• Assume Nothing – Femicide: Eight Steps to Stop a Murder – BBC Radio Ulster
• Black History Month: Raising The Next Generation – Hits Radio
• Clare’s Law: A Decade of Saving Lives – Hits Radio
• The Culture Colonel – BFBS
• Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion – BBC Radio 4
• Life After Prison – Prison Radio Association
• The Madman’s Hotel – Audible
• The Quiet Place – BBC Radio 5 Live
• The Quilt – Aunt Nell

Local Radio Station of the Year

• BBC Radio Cornwall
• BBC Radio Ulster
• BBC Radio Derby
• Forth 1
• Clyde 1
• Portsmouth’s Express FM

UK Audio Brand of the Year

• Apple Music Radio
• BBC Sounds
• Goalhanger Podcasts
• Rayo – Bauer Media Audio UK
• Tortoise Media
• Yoto

UK Radio Station or Radio Network of the Year

• BBC Asian Network
• BBC Radio 3
• BBC Radio 5 Live
• Fun Kids
• Greatest Hits Radio
• talkSPORT

Radio Times Moment of the Year

• Johnnie Walker’s Final Show on Sounds of the 70’s – Listen for BBC Radio 2
• Radio 4’s PM Laura Trott Interview – BBC Radio 4
• Sunday Love Songs Remembering Steve Wright – BBC Radio 2
• ‘I want my mum to die’ – Stuart George on BBC Radio Stoke
• Coldplay go Orange for Luton – BBC 3 Counties Radio
• BBC Radio 4’s Today: Mishal Husain and James Cleverly – BBC News
• A listener unexpectedly calls Cristo Foufas’ final show to thank him for saving his life – TALK
• Marjorie Taylor Greene blames media for Trump assassination attempt – Times Radio
• Dan Noble speaks out about the far-right riots across the UK – Absolute Radio
• Frank off the Radio – The Frank Skinner Project, Avalon

External links