How the ARIAS are judged
The ARIAS are the UK audio and radio awards presented annually to recognise, honour and reward outstanding shows and the teams behind them. It is a huge accolade to be nominated. We take our responsibility to everyone who applies really seriously.
The ARIAS are judged by over 200 senior audio and radio practitioners, drawn from all sectors of the industry. Judges are organised into judging panels, which range in size from 8 to 15 people per category, depending on the number of entries submitted. Each panel is chaired by a Head Judge, who is a Fellow or Trustee of the Radio Academy.
Chair of Judges, Phil Riley, will chair a webinar with a panel of past ARIAS judges to offer insights on the judging process and guidance on what to consider when putting together your entry.
Nominations
All entries are organised into three pools.
- Pool A is for content made or commissioned by the BBC
- Pool B is for content made or commissioned by Commercial and Other Radio
- Pool C is for podcasts that don’t come under either of the other pools. (Pool C doesn’t apply in all categories)
Judges listen to all entries and read all submissions, then anonymously score them against four criteria: Creativity, Impact, Production, and Meets The Rubric. The top three entries from each pool form the nominations list.
The judging panel then meet (either in person or virtually) to identify their Bronze, Silver and Gold winners
Each panel judges just one category, and each award is determined in isolation, with the decision of the judging panel being final.
The Radio Times Moment of The Year is judged differently. Radio Academy Members are invited to suggest (for free) their favourite moment from across audio and radio in the past year, whether they worked on it or not. A panel of judges formed of Radio Academy Trustees and the Editor of the Radio Times score these and meet to form a shortlist of ten. The readers of Radio Times then vote for their favourite on the Radio Times website.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at The ARIAS
Inclusivity is an integral part of The Radio Academy’s Values: we strive to be representative of the sector and the UK population in all that we do.
The ARIAS are designed to be open to all – from large broadcasters to independent podcasters and community radio stations – they are intended to celebrate great UK radio and audio; however it is made or distributed. We actively encourage entries from all areas and backgrounds.
We aim for our group of judges to be representative of the sector and the UK population at large. In recent years, our focus has been to meet a minimum of 50:50:20 representation – we aim for an equal gender split, and a minimum of 20% of judges to be Black, Asian or from other minority ethnic backgrounds. We have published monitoring data for a range of Radio Academy activity.
This historical data is not based on self-identity, and from 2023 onwards we are asking judges to fill out an anonymous monitoring form, so we can better capture how judges identify their own gender, ethnicity, and other demographic factors.
Furthermore, new for 2024, an independent EDI consultant will be working with The Radio Academy to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. With Chico Chakravorty from Doing Diversity Differently, we have created a set of bespoke videos as a guide to fair and equitable judging.
Editorial Independence
Since 2023 an independent editorial advisor has been contracted to work with The Radio Academy to offer independent guidance and recommendations to the judges, on concerns regarding the editorial safety of shortlisted content. This continues at the 2024 ARIAS, working alongside the dedicated independent EDI consultant.
The Radio Academy ARIAS at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Tuesday 2 May 2023
Photo by Mark Allan