ARIAS 2026 nominees announced for Roundhouse event

A wide range of UK radio and audio programmes have been shortlisted for this year’s ARIAS awards.

The Audio Academy has revealed the full list of nominees for the 2026 Audio and Radio Industry Awards, with winners set to be announced at London’s Roundhouse on Thursday 21st May.

Now marking ten years in its current form, the ARIAS continues to recognise work across radio, podcasts and audio production, with entries spanning major broadcasters, independent producers and global platforms.

It also marks ten years since the UK’s biggest commercial radio group, Global, pulled its support for the Academy and the event.

Those competing for the big titles will do so knowing the results went unchallenged from some of the UK’s biggest podcasts and radio brands such as LBC, Classic FM, Capital and Heart.

But among those shortlisted are titles including The Louis Theroux Podcast, British Scandal and Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball, alongside presenters such as Greg James, Romesh Ranganathan, Tyler West and Nadia Jae.

Rylan will return as host for the ceremony, saying: “This night is all about celebrating the best of radio and audio and how much it means to so many people around the country.”

There are 21 categories this year, covering areas including breakfast shows, comedy, factual output and news, as well as technical innovation and commercial partnerships.

Nominees come from organisations including the BBC, Bauer Media, Fix Radio and Tortoise Media, alongside platforms such as Apple Music Radio and Audible.

The shortlist was announced at a nominations event in London, with entries judged by token industry figures.

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES

Best New Presenter

Anna Sinfield – Novel
Becky and Ben Saer – Becky & Ben’s Fertility Spotlight
Beth Ditto – BBC 6Music and BBC Sounds
Georgie Styles – Smoke Trail and Whistledown Productions for BBC Radio and BBC Sounds Audio Lab
Gok Wan – Magic Radio
Hugh Sheehan – BBC Sounds Audio Lab
James Chandler and George Butler – AI Haven’t a Clue
Louise Wener – Absolute Radio
Mia Thornton – BBC Sounds Audio Lab
Roxie Nafousi – Rise with Roxie, Bauer Media Audio UK
Siva Gold, BCFM – BCFM
Hattie Hasan and Steph Leese – Tradeswomen Together, Fix Radio

Best Music Breakfast Radio Show

1Xtra Breakfast with Nadia Jae – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Breakfast with Greg James – BBC Radio 1
Breakfast – BBC Radio 3
Boogie in the Morning – Forth 1
Bowie at Breakfast – Clyde 1
Magic Radio Breakfast with Gok Wan and Harriet Scott – Magic FM
Nick Grimshaw – BBC Radio 6 Music
The Bald Builders Breakfast – Fix Radio

Best Speech Breakfast Radio Show

5 Live Breakfast – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bloomberg Daybreak Europe – Bloomberg Radio
Good Morning Ulster – BBC Radio Ulster
Joe Sims’ ‘Proper Bristol Breakfast’ – BBC Radio Bristol
Sophie Law – BBC Radio Oxford
The Graham Liver Breakfast Show – BBC Radio Lancashire

Best Music Entertainment

ChillDaBeats with Phil Taggart – Slack Panda Productions
Garry Spence – Clyde 1
Haroon Rashid – BBC Asian Network
Hometime with Bush and Richie – Absolute Radio
Justin Dealey – BBC Three Counties Radio
Oh Gatekeeper with Joe Talbot – Slack Panda Productions
Remi Burgz – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Romesh Ranganathan – TBI Media for BBC Radio 2
Shaun Keaveny’s Community Garden Radio – Burning Bright Productions
Tyler West – Kiss

Best Speech Entertainment

British Scandal – Audible and Samizdat Audio
Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball – Persephonica
Fame Under Fire – BBC Sounds
Matt Chorley – BBC Radio 5 Live
Mistresses with Jameela Jamil & Dr Kate Lister – Audible and Mags Creative
Out of Doors – BBC Radio Scotland
NPR Talk – Prison Radio Association
Read On – The Audiobook Show from RNIB – RNIB Connect Radio
Rylan: How To Be In Love – Mindhouse Productions for BBC Sounds
The Louis Theroux Podcast – Mindhouse Productions

Best Music Award

20th Century Radicals – Reduced Listening for BBC Radio 3
21st Century Folk – Pomona Audio for BBC Radio 2
The Dance Music Archive with Andi Durrant – KISSTORY
Elton John’s Rocket Hour – Apple Music Radio
Facing The Music – Overcoat Media for BBC Radio 3
Folk on Foot
Jim Salveson – Freshly Squeezed: A New Music Podcast
Q Year’s Day – JazzFM
Radio 1’s New Music Show with Jack Saunders – BBC Radio 1
So Hear Me Out – Reduced Listening for Southbank Centre

Best Comedy

French & Saunders: Titting About – Listen and Audible
From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast – Baby Cow and Audible
It’s a Fair Cop – BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4
IM1 – Manx Radio
Scott Bennett: Blood Sugar Baby – DLT Entertainment for BBC Radio 4
Shagged, Married, Annoyed – Avalon
The Jon Richardson Show – Absolute Radio
The Matt Forde Focus Group – Avalon for BBC Radio 4
The Skewer – Unusual for BBC Radio 4
Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake – Sony Music Entertainment

Best Factual Single Episode

Coldplay: Off The Record – Hits Radio
In Pieces – Reduced Listening for BBC Radio 4
Locked Up – BBC Radio 4
Lost in Lullabies – Sound and Bones for BBC Radio 4
No Contact, when adult children estrange – The Economist
Paul Simon’s Political Storm – Peanut & Crumb for BBC Radio 4
Pete Wicks’ Man Made – Prime Minister Keir Starmer – Bauer Media Audio UK
The Last Boat – The Economist
The Pop Legacy of Quincy Jones – Jazz FM and Greatest Hits Radio

Best Factual Series Award

Adrift – Blanchard House
Assume Nothing: Creation of a Teenage Satanist – BBC Sounds
Missing in the Amazon – The Guardian
My Stalker Moved in Next Door – Hits Radio
Pipeline: Left to Die – Daily Mail
The House at Number 48 – BBC Radio 4
The Spy Who – Audible
The Smuggler – BBC Radio 4
The Toxic Waste Scandal – BBC Radio Northampton

Best Drama or Fiction

Behind the Scenes at the Museum – BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4
Doctor Who – Hooklight – Big Finish Productions
Four Gammons and a Unicorn – Pozzitive for BBC Radio 4
Lyra – BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4
Ranger Rae And The Wildlifers – Fun Kids for National Trust
Shirley’s Party – Hooley Productions for BBC Radio 4
Shorts – Ben Burrell

Best News

Assisted dying, the debate beyond the bill – The Economist
Electoral Dysfunction – Sky News
From Glory to Horror: The Liverpool Title Parade – Hits Radio Liverpool
Hits and Headlines – Hits Radio
Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica’s Recovery – BBC Radio 1Xtra Newsbeat
Sitrep – BFBS
Teen Summit – BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize
The Bicester Fire – BBC Radio Oxford
The Mishal Husain Show – Bloomberg
The Smuggler – BBC Radio 4
Today in Focus – The Guardian
Trump100 – Sky News

Best Sports

F1 Explains – Formula 1 and Audioboom
Fighting Talk – World’s End for BBC Radio 5 Live
Not by the Playbook – BBC World Service
The Fast And The Curious
The Ryder Cup – BBC Radio 5 Live
The Women in Sport Podcast
Total Sport Merseyside – BBC Radio Merseyside

Best Event Coverage

BBC Proms 2025 – BBC Radio 3
Donald Trump’s State Visit – Electoral Dysfunction and Trump100 – Sky News
Live Aid Relived – Greatest Hits Radio
The King’s Trust Carol Concert – Magic Classical
The Oasis Reunion – Absolute Radio
The Shipping Forecast Day – BBC Radio 4
Tool Theft Rally – Fix Radio
Train Tracks – Tandem Productions for BBC Radio 3
Vernon Kay At The Oasis Homecoming Concert – BBC Radio 2

Best Sonic Branding

Absolute Radio
BBC Asian Network
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 6 Music
Superscoreboard – Clyde 1
Live Aid Relived – Greatest Hits Radio
Magic Radio

Best Commercial Partnership

Christmas saved for 318,767 children thanks to B&M – Cash for Kids and Hits Radio
Comedians Chatting Cancer – Cancer Research UK and Acast
Historic Scotland Podcast – Think Publishing and Historic Scotland
How To Fail – Dove and Sony Music Podcasts
The Citroën Apprentice Driving Force – Fix Radio and Citroën
Staying Relevant in Vegas with Avios – Acast and Staying Relevant Productions
The ‘Altogether Different’ Start to the Day with KISS Breakfast – Channel 4
Wickes – Bauer Media Audio UK

Best Social Impact

Bantam of The Opera – BBC Radio Leeds
Black Girls and Sport: A Break-up Story – Women in Sport
Criminally Queer – Reduced Listening for BBC Sounds Audio Lab
Fix Radio on mental health
Fun Kids Windrush
Kids Live at 5 – Cheshire’s MIX56
Life After Prison – Prison Radio Association
Lost Souls – Hits Radio
Pipeline: Left to Die – Daily Mail
Stop a Stroke – BBC Radio Manchester
The Grave Robbers – BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4
The Scars – Story Publishing

Best Technical Innovation Award

Illuminated: The Organ Symphony – Loftus Media for BBC Radio 4
Radio Essentials PrepPad® – Essentials Digital Media Ltd
The 2005 Ashes: Settling the Score – BBC Radio 5 Live
The Wargame – Sky News and Tortoise
Train Tracks – Tandem Productions for BBC Radio 3
Voice Notes Suck

John Myers Local Station of the Year

BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Ulster
Clyde 1
Forth 1
Lyca Radio
Original 106

Audio Brand of the Year

Apple Music Radio
Audio Always Originals
BBC Sounds
Rayo
Sony Music Podcasts

UK Radio Station or Network of the Year

BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4
Fix Radio
Greatest Hits Radio
Hits Radio
Jazz FM

Radio Times Moment of the Year

BBC Radio 3 Breakfast: 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
Chelsey Ward shares her lived experience of racist abuse in Yorkshire – BBC Radio Sheffield
Comedian Dan Skinner swims with the Blue Tits Chill Swimmers off the Pembrokeshire coast – Think Publishing and Great Western Railway
I Don’t Like Cricket, I Love It – BBC Three Counties Radio
“Listen love, you’re trying ever so hard” – Bloomberg
Live Aid Relived – Greatest Hits Radio
Sarah Speaks: The Southport Attacks – BBC Radio Merseyside
Scotland V Denmark World Cup Qualifier – BBC Radio Scotland
The Human Cost: How Tool Theft Pushed One Listener to the Brink of Suicide – Fix Radio
The King’s Music Room – Apple Music