Who are the judges for the 2026 Charles Parker Prize?

We can now announce the judging panel for the 2026 Charles Parker Prize. A shortlist of 10 nominees will be announced around 24 April.

Simon Elmes - Former Creative Director, BBC Radio Features  (Chair of Judging Panel)
Talia Augustidis - Audio Producer and Gold Charles Parker Prize Winner (2022)
Stephanie Billen - Radio Previewer, The Observer 
Mel Harris - Managing Director, Sparklab Productions
Hugh Levinson - Commissioning Editor, BBC Radio 4 
Khaliq Meer - BBC Commissioning Executive & Head of Audio Lab

The five winners will be declared at this year's Charles Parker Day on Friday 8 May at the University of Salford’s Digital Media Performance Lab in MediaCityUK.  As well as a programme of relevant speakers, there's a choice of participatory sessions: a listening masterclass designed specifically for students, with advice from producers, commissioners and Charles Parker himself. Tickets for this event are now on sale, and full details are on our website at cpatrust.org.uk

The winning features will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as part of the New Storytellers series during the summer.