2025 Winners
On 16th May the five winners of the 2025 Charles Parker Prize were announced by Hugh Levinson, BBC Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor for Speech Programmes. The five winning features will be broadcast in the New Storytellers Series on BBC Radio 4 later in the year and will continue to be available, as are the winning features from previous years. This year the judges were Jane Anderson, (former winner) Hannah Dean, Sara Jane Hall, Axel Kacoutié, Khaliq Meer, Tammi Walker, Kellie While and Simon Elmes (chair). Here are the results and the judges’ citations for the five winners and five others who were nominated for the Prize.
Gold Award: In Living Memory – Shadé Joseph – UCL
In an elegy to her lost brother, Zeon, Shadé’s programme tells the story of how the baby unexpectedly died, with grievous effects on his mother and family. The citation of the judges said: “Wow what a powerful piece! So intimate and (as a mum myself) not an easy listen… I was thoroughly moved, floored, and speechless. Very expertly done. This is a remarkable piece of audio. The voice of the narrator is mesmerising in her adlibbed / scripted interventions. Very moving and beautifully realised.”
14 Years in 14 Minutes – Sarah Warren (Transmission Roundhouse audio course)
Judges praised “a good personal, informative account of living with diabetes… a very easy listen and the personality really shines through. Great illustrative sound design also.”
My Toy Soldier – Kieran Callaghan (University of Sunderland)
“This simple story was beautifully told,” was the jury’s opinion. “And I loved all the little sonic details which elevated the feature and took it to a different level.”
The T-shirt – Jenny Davies (In the Dark audio course)
Judges called it “an incredibly powerful, poignant listen…a small masterpiece…beautifully written, delivered and constructed with an inevitable climax that’s a remarkable section of scripted audio.”
Ukraine to Scotland – Musical Journey – Sofiia Fylypiv (University of the Highlands and Islands) This personal take on the war was, the jury said, “thought-provoking, emotionally engaging, with highly skilled radio production values for one so young and totally original use of music…this feature showed expressiveness, storytelling skill, combined with subtle mix of music, FX etc. Moving, memorable and quite dazzling.”
Other Nominees
Shorn Women – Chloé Turpin (UCL)
Judges commented: “This had me engaged from start to finish… the story is vivid and full of discovery.”
Searching for the Lost Language of Cumbric – Caitlin Kennedy (Imperial College, London)
“A fine example of a radio documentary confounding one’s expectations,” said the jury, “crafted with skill and intelligence, which carries the listener along with it from start to finish. Very good indeed.”
Foundlings – Matthew Hallsworth (University of Salford)
“This is a cracking idea,” said the judges, “with some excellent witness material… I forgot that I was listening to a student piece at times.”
The Spaces Between – Emma Ratyal-Brooks (In the Dark audio course)
“This is a very accomplished piece of audio” said the judges “… done in a highly original way. A great feature.”
Glass Children – Bobbi Bunker (University of Sunderland)
The jury’s view: “A great mix of interviews, well recorded… really informative… powerful, moving and beautifully told.”
