11th International Audio Drama Festival
24-28 March 2025
This is the UNOFFICIAL WEBSITE for the International Radio Drama Festival. The latest news is posted at the TOP of the page; older information is lower down.
Official stuff (entry forms, admin, etc) is on the OFFICIAL festival website: radiodramafestival.org.uk .
How does the festival work?
2025
2024
2023
2023
2022
2021
Detailed notes for LAST year (about 20 pages): 2024 full programme
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ABOUT THIS EVENT
The UK International Audio Drama Festival 2025 is back. A unique chance to hear wonderful audio drama lasting from 1 minute to 1 hour. A whole range of languages but English translations provided . A rare chance to hear work from other cultures and other countries. Everyone welcome to join the jury discussion at the end of the day and even to join the jury and make awards. Thanks to our sponsors: ALCS, Arts Council England, Canterbury BID and Nigel and Alison Deacon.
Location: Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, 24-28 March 2025. We look forward to welcoming producers and audience alike for an exciting and stimulating week of listening and discussion.
ONLINE LISTENING SESSIONS
The UK International Audio Drama Festival 2025 will be available for real-time collective online listening in our new hybrid festival format
Listening to audio drama with others is a rare treat! After the success of last year's online festival, we are offering those who cannot make the journey to Canterbury, the opportunity to enjoy the spirit of the festival but online. Hosted, collective zoom sessions will bring the festival to you where you are and enable you to share the joy with others around the world. We hope also to enable remote participation in the jury sessions too.
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WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE LANGUAGES?
FESTIVAL CHAIRS THIS YEAR
Say hello this year's festival chairs: Nigel Deacon and Helen Rowe.
Nigel is a long-standing friend of the festival and one of the sponsors of our Deacon award. He has a vast personal collection of UK audio dramas and a deep appreciation for radio.
Helen has worked as a producer & arts development leader for decades. She’s been involved in radio in a wide range of contexts and has a personal commitment to it as an art form.
We know that Nigel and Helen will bring an exciting energy and passion to this year’s event.
Keen to learn if you made it to our festival short list? We’ll be announcing that very soon - so watch this space.
17 Feb 25
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
We have 134 entries from 24 countries in 23 languages. A huge thank you to everyone who has shared their work.
Our team has been hard at work cataloguing and responding to all your applications. The next step is for our jury to start listening to all the amazing audio dramas we have received.
We'll be announcing the short list in a few weeks, so stay tuned.
28 Jan 25
SUBMISSIONS UPDATE
You have two weeks left to apply for the 2025 UK International Audio Drama Festival: 24-28 Mar, in Canterbury.
We are looking for:
Works can be in any language and from any country. Submit now:
https://radiodramafestival.org.uk/
4 Jan 25
BEST EUROPEAN DRAMA
I am pleased to report that Marta Rebzda is on the shortlist for Best European Drama (for the third year running) at the Audio Drama Awards on 30 Mar. The play entered is 'Sisters of Job' which we heard at last year's festival.
20 Dec 24
SUBMISSIONS UPDATE
It’s been just over 2 weeks since we opened up submissions for our 2025 festival.
So far, we’ve received entries from 8 countries, including:
UK, USA, Ireland, Romania
France, Chile, India, Armenia
This is just the beginning. Last year, submissions represented a total of 32 countries - and we want to beat that record!
So spread the word far and wide and help us make this the most international display of audio drama we’ve seen yet
You can submit your application using the link SUBMISSIONS .
7 Dec 24
THE 2025 FESTIVAL IS NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
We're excited to announce that our 2025 Festival has opened for submissions with a closing date of 17 Jan 2025.
There are two categories for this year's event: full length and short form. Cash prizes are available in both categories for the winning works chosen by the jury. Application forms and regulations are available on the website.
The regulations and appplications forms can be found on the Festival website, here .
And we are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back in person for a week of wonderful listening, and conversation.
23 Nov 24
Deacon Award
We are delighted to announce that this award will continue; it is for young producers under the age of 30. The Deacon Award will chosen by the jury from the shortlisted works. This award is generously sponsored by our long time supporters, Nigel and Alison Deacon.
Back to Canterbury
We are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Canterbury for an in-person event. There is no substitute for a conversation over a cup of coffee or pint of beer and the opportunity to get to know people and their work in more depth. And we know how much audiences love listening to audio drama together.
But we also understand that a range of constraints will always prevent some people from travelling so we are building on the success of last year’s online festival and will ensure that anyone can tune in remotely too.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
SUBMISSIONS
Deadline will be 17 January.
We can't wait to listen to the amazing works you send us this year. Hope to see you all in Canterbury!
To get in touch with the Festival team, please email radiodramafestival@gmail.com
COVID ISLAND DRAMAS
Imagine you're in quarantine, or lockdown, with a mystery virus preventing you from going anywhere or doing very much. Which eight radio dramas would you take with you to your 'Covid Island' to hear again and again, to keep you sane? That's the question we thought about during lockdown, and we made four programmes where radio drama enthusiasts were quizzed about their lives and asked about their favourite plays.
We hope you have fun listening to them.
COVID ISLAND DRAMAS, 4
Andy Jordan, producer of more radio plays than we can count, interviewed by Karen Archer.
Covid Island, episode 4
COVID ISLAND DRAMAS, 3
Jonathan Keeble, radio actor, and voiceover artist, interviewed by Clive Perrott.
Covid Island, episode 3
COVID ISLAND DRAMAS, 2
Jack Klaff, actor, writer and academic, interviewed by Maureen Younger.
Covid Island, episode 2
COVID ISLAND DRAMAS, 1
Nigel Deacon, radio drama collector, chemist and apple breeder, interviewed by Jack Klaff.
Covid Island, episode 1
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