Written by Chloe Hayler
It’s that time of year again, the Student Radio Award nominations have been released, the tickets have gone on sale, and we are just a few weeks away from the most glamorous student radio event on the calendar. The SRAs have been held annually since 1995 to celebrate the radio and audio talent of students and the diversity of content across the country. It is judged by a panel of industry specialists, who decide on a shortlist of six nominees in each category before those nominees are further cut down to crown a bronze, silver and gold winner.
The awards are taking place on the 14th of November 2023. As with every year, the ceremony will be held in the prestigious indigo at the O2 arena in London and is set to be attended by over 200 students along with 200 media giants established in the fields of broadcasting and senior management from public, commercial and independent networks, agencies and companies. The night hosts not only the awards ceremony itself but also performances and plenty of socialising opportunities for all the radio-passionate attendees.
BBC Sounds and Global are long-standing supporters of the SRA and the awards, as they acknowledge the influence that student radio has on launching the next generation of radio talent into the industry. Student radio has been responsible for the beginning of the careers of many renowned radio presenters, such as Rich Clarke and Greg James. The support of sponsors and promotors ensures that equality is kept at the forefront of the SRA, with admission prices kept lower than cost. Unfortunately, as one of the most coveted radio awards nights of the year, the £25.99 Table Seat tickets have now sold out, but if you like what you’ve been reading so far, Kings Row tickets are still available for purchase at £15.99. Be quick- they will sell out fast!
The categories up for grabs include… Best Chart Show Programming, Best Entertainment Programming, Best Event Programming, Best Interview, Best Journalistic Programming, Best Multiplatform Initiative, Best Newcomer, Best Podcast Programming, Best Presenter, The Joe Lyons Best Producer Awards, Best Specialist Music Programming, Best Speech Programming, Best Sports Programming, Best Station Branding, Best Station Sound, Best Technical Achievement, The Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Award and finally, Best Student Radio Station.
Last year’s awards saw our very own Station Manager, Kinga Stusik, win bronze in the ‘Best Newcomer’ category and Insanity Radio were nominated for ‘Best Student Radio Station’ and ‘Best Technical Achievement’. This year, ‘Insanity Radio’s Triple Studio Project: The Long and Winding Road’ is shortlisted for ‘Best Technical Achievement’ and Sophie Lake is up for an award in the ‘Best Specialist Music Programming’ category, with her show ‘K-pop Kickoff’!
If you are one of the lucky ticket holders, I hope enjoy the night of celebration but if not, then let’s hope the next article you will be reading from us will be reporting the news of our winners!
Written by Chloe Hayler, Edited by Eleanor Partington, Photography by Ruairidh Colquhoun, Published by Mia Ince.