Entries open from Wednesday 1st July at 12pm
Audible return as headline sponsor
6 New categories & Early Bird fee announced
Overview
The APAs from AudioUK return for their sixteenth year, with Audible as headline sponsor, celebrating the creativity, craft and talent shaping the UK podcast and audio industry. Recognising the people both behind the scenes and in front of the mic, the awards honour excellence across podcasts, radio, audiobooks, sound design, production and presenting.
Organised by AudioUK, the industry body dedicated to advancing the podcast and audio industry the APAs are where the podcast and audio community comes together to recognise outstanding achievement and celebrate another year of exceptional work.
Chris Baughen, CEO of AudioUK, said:
“The APAs have always been one of the highlights of the industry calendar for me. Over the years I’ve attended as a producer, commissioner, Content Head and sponsor, and what has always struck me is the genuine sense of community in the room. The APAs celebrate the people behind the podcasts, audiobooks and radio we all love: the producers, editors, sound designers, presenters, writers and teams whose creativity brings great ideas to life.
Now, as CEO of AudioUK, I’m incredibly proud to play a part in championing these awards. They reflect everything that makes our industry special: outstanding creativity, collaboration, innovation and a shared passion for great storytelling.
I’m also delighted to welcome back Audible as our headline partner and grateful to Amazon Music for continuing to support our Pay What You Can scheme, helping to ensure entries to the awards remain accesssible.”
2026 brings the biggest shake-up to the APAs category list yet. Six new and updated categories join the lineup this year: Executive Producer of the Year, International Breakthrough Award, Experimental Sound Design, and Best Use of Video are brand new, while Non-Fiction Audiobook and Ensemble Cast each become standalone categories in their own right for the first time.
Across all 30 categories, the awards celebrate production excellence spanning Comedy, Factual / Documentary, Audio Drama, Arts & Culture, Music, Entertainment, Lifestyle & Society, True Crime, History, Sound Design and more, plus a variety of on-mic and emerging talent awards. There are also the coveted awards for Production Company of the Year, Publisher or Network of the Year, Producer of the Year, and the new Executive Producer of the Year: recognising the leaders and visionaries who shape what gets made.
The Kids Content category returns, celebrating the explosion of audio and podcasts being created for younger audiences and as always, it will be judged by its target audience. Kids!
Most categories are open to individual producers as well as teams of producers working closely together, in recognition that many productions cannot be narrowed down to the work of a single person. Entrants are encouraged to read the category citations for the full entry guidelines.
Entry Information
The Awards are opening on 1st July and applicants will have 11 weeks to enter.
Early Bird entry fee for AudioUK Members is £50+VAT and £60+VAT for non-members and will run for an extended period of 10 weeks until Sunday 30th August. From then on, the standard entry fee will be £60+VAT for AudioUK Members and £70+VAT for non-members until the final deadline on Wednesday 16th September at 2pm (please note: there will be no late extension to the entry deadline).
Pay What You Can Scheme
With support from Amazon Music, AudioUK will be running the Pay What You Can scheme again, offering discounted entry rates for those under financial constraints, who would otherwise be unable to enter the Awards. Please email roshan.roberts@audiouk.org.uk to access the scheme.
TO ENTER plus all category descriptions, eligibility criteria, and further details, go to www.theapas.co.uk
If you’d like to find out more about joining AudioUK, you can do so here: https://www.audiouk.org.uk/join-us/
Key Dates:
Entry opens: Wednesday 1st July 12PM (11 weeks)
Early Bird entry fee: Wednesday 1st July – Sunday 30th August Midnight (8 weeks)
Standard entry fee from Monday 31st August
Final deadline: Wednesday 16th September 2PM. (Please note there will be no extension of the entry deadline)
Shortlist announced & event tickets on sale: Monday 26th October
Awards Ceremony at the BFI, London, Southbank: Thursday 26th November
Winners Published: Thursday 26th November
The APAs from AudioUK – Categories for 2026:
INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM OF PRODUCERS WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER
Arts & Culture
Audio Drama
Best Use of Video
Branded Content
Comedy
Entertainment
Experimental Sound Design
Factual / Documentary
Fiction Audiobook
History
Kids Content
Lifestyle & Society
Music
News / Politics
Non Fiction Audiobook
Sound Design
Sports
True Crime
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Executive Producer of the Year
Narrator
New Producer
New Voice
Presenter / Host
Producer of the Year
PERFORMANCE AWARDS
Ensemble Cast
Presenting Team
COMPANY / ORGANISATION AWARDS
International Breakthrough Award
Network or Publisher of the Year
Production Company of the Year
IMPACT & SPECIAL AWARDS
Changemaker Award
AudioUK Award
All category descriptions and eligibility criteria can be found here:
https://theapas.co.uk/live/en/page/categories
Contact:
Roshan Roberts, Lead Producer, Audio Production Awards
roshan.roberts@audiouk.org.uk
General Enquiries: hello@theapas.co.uk
Notes:
The APAs from AudioUK, have been celebrating audio talent since 2010, when they launched as the Radio Production Awards (RPAs). The awards were rebranded as the APAs in 2016 and recognise both on and off-air talent across the industry. Details of past winners can be found at: https://theapas.co.uk/live/en/page/2025-winners
AudioUK is the UK’s leading industry body for the podcast and audio sector: spanning radio, podcasts, and audiobooks. Its work focuses on fostering innovation, supporting creators and businesses, and driving both creative and commercial growth across the sector. With over 130 member businesses based across the UK, AudioUK is where the industry comes together. Find out more and join at: audiouk.org.uk
More details on the APAs: Entry Details
Entries should give judges a clear picture of the quality of your work over the past year. That might be a series of extracts, from one programme, podcast, show, or series, or clips drawn from a range of different projects. Entrants may also submit a single standout clip from one programme, whether that’s a one-off or part of a series.
Statements
Entries should be no longer than 15 minutes. Except for Production Company of the Year, Publisher or Network of the Year, and Producer of the Year, which allow up to 30 minutes. Written supporting statements must not exceed 600 words.
Judging
Our judges are drawn from a pool of previous panellists, peer recommendations, and the wider industry and we actively work each year to grow and diversify that network to better reflect the full breadth of the podcast and audio industry. Judges are asked to consider the resources available to entrants and any challenges they may have faced in producing their work. Judge names will be published once all judging is complete, without specifying which categories they assessed. To ensure fairness, judges are allocated to categories in a way that avoids any conflict of interest.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Reflecting the true diversity of the audio sector isn’t a box-ticking exercise, it’s central to everything AudioUK and the APAs stand for. The awards are representative across platforms (podcasts, audiobooks, and radio), across company sizes, and across the UK. The APAs actively promote inclusivity in all its forms, including, but not limited to, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identities, disability, age, and socio-economic background.
APAs Proceeds
Any profits generated by the APAs are reinvested directly into AudioUK’s work championing the UK podcast and audio industry: including training through the Audiotrain programme and industry events.
