What’s The Point Of Awards?
Radio Industry Award Judging is in full flow, with both ARIA and SRA entries currently under the microscope. I’ve been really lucky to judge a few awards over the last couple of years and I am always struck by a couple of things that I thought would be useful to you when you’re deciding whether to trawl through your audio or “forget it this time”.
1. There are never as many entries as you think
Just like there are never as many texts into a radio studio as you think, there are never as many entries as you think. So you will always have a better chance of being nominated than you presume.
2. You never know who will be a judge
When else do you get industry people listening to you intently with the will for you to do well? Your next boss could be judging your category.
3. Never assume
The biggest mistake people make in editing their entry is assuming that the judges know what’s going on. Because you are on air every day, you assume they’ll have heard it.
But… The judges can’t judge you on what goes out on air every day, they can only judge you on your entry audio. Start from the point of view that the judges have never heard of your show, feature or the presenters, and include audio that sets out your stall at the beginning of the entry.
Good luck if you have entered anything this year. Remember getting a nomination is as good as winning: you get to go on the night and you’re in the programme.