About

The Podcast Pitch is a joint initiative with Sheffield DocFest.  The Whickers are giving a £15,000 production award to the winner and £5,000 to a runner up. Six finalists will also receive a free pass to Sheffield Documentary Festival in June 2025, 2 nights accommodation, a contribution of up to £400 per project towards their travel expenses and access to top industry professionals and commissioners of the audio world.

The Podcast Pitch follows the growing global trend towards solo, episodic listening to factual audio on the move and replaces the Radio and Audio Funding Award (RAFA). Single episode proposals will also be considered. The application is open to all independent podcast makers who fulfil the core criteria detailed below.

Applications are now closed.

Key dates for 2025 round:

  • 2nd December 2024 : Applications open
  • 28th February 2025 ((23:59 GMT)) Applications close
  • Late April 2025: Shortlisted projects announced
  • June 2025: Finalists pitch their projects at Sheffield DocFest
  • June 2025: Winner of the Podcast Pitch Award announced at Sheffield DocFest Awards Ceremony

Criteria

Engagement

  • Unique access to engaging characters in unusual or inaccessible locations
  • Contributors have agency, their story emerges in their own words
  • A demonstrable flair for coaxing the human spirit into revealing itself
  • The author demonstrates intimacy with but does not overshadow the subject
  • Flair for structure; for example: knows how to create a cliffhanger to ensure the listener tunes in to the next episode
  • An instinct for knowing what their audience cares about, or will care about in 6 months time
  • We welcome applications from across the globe but projects must be accessible to an English language audience
  • A basic understanding of the podcasting process is welcome

Curiosity

  • Spirit of inquisitiveness that leaves viewers wanting more
  • Tells us about something new and unexpected about the world
  • Excites wonder
  • Understands how wit can illuminate the toughest or most nuanced real life drama

Authored Story

  • A story-teller with demonstrably strong interviewing skills
  • Demonstrates passion for the subject whilst retaining fair-mindedness
  • Demonstrates a real sense of independence
  • Wit is welcome
  • Strictly no ‘Whicker impersonations’

Original use of technology

  • Playful with story-telling means – breaking new ground and/or using old ground to re-invent new style
  • An understanding that sound, as well as speech, can enrich the audience experience.
  • Creative use of the stereo or binaural audio landscape.

Personal not partisan

  • Investigative journalism is welcome
  • No campaigning, pre-set agendas or political theories

Guidelines

  • Open to audio producers from anywhere in the world, but the programme must be in the English language
  • Award money will either be paid into the award-winner’s registered production company, or to an individual (if they are applying as a sole producer)
  • Up to four minutes of original taster audio recording is required at the time of applying
  • Applicants must have an executive producer on board at the time of applying
  • If applicants reach the finals they will be invited to pitch at Sheffield DocFest in the UK in June 2024
  • Applicants must be able to attend the final in person
  • The judges’ decision is final.
  • For further information, see the FAQs at the bottom of this page

Application Checklist

We recommend that, well in advance of the deadline, you go through the full application questions in order to prepare your answers according to the requested word limits, and gather the necessary links and information. To apply, you will need: up to 4 minutes of teaser audio, a still image to illustrate your project, an executive producer or named mentor, and you will need to agree to our full Podcast Pitch Terms and Conditions.

You can download a PDF template of the application form to help you to prepare your answers in advance by clicking the download button on the application form. Please email in**@wh***********.com if you have further queries.

FAQs

Do I need to pay to enter?

No, all of our awards are free to enter.

Do I need to be a UK citizen to apply?

No, we accept applications worldwide.

Does my proposal have to be in English?

Yes, we will only consider proposals in English. The taster audio material and proposed programme should be in the English language, or in voiced over dubbing for audio originally recorded in languages other than English.

Is there a deadline for applying to The Podcast Pitch?

Yes. The Podcast Pitch is open for applications until 11:59pm GMT on Sunday 25th February 2024. 

Can I submit more than one proposal per cycle?

Yes. We will accept up to 2 proposals per applicant.

Do I need to be an emerging podcast producer to apply?

No. Unlike the Film and TV Funding Award, this is open to producers at any stage of their career.

When will I find out if I have been successful?

We aim to publish the long list in early April and the finalist list by the beginning of May.

Can I request feedback if my project is not accepted?

Our resources for giving feedback are very limited. If your application is unsuccessful and you are prepared to wait, we can arrange for a 7 minute feedback slot by phone.

Is there an age limit for applying?

We welcome applications from all those over the age of 18.

Whicker’s World was all about travel, so are these awards for travel programmes?

No. Whicker’s World was always more about the people rather than the places – and this legacy exists to support documentary-makers who can introduce us to wondrous ‘new worlds’, whether or not they are across the globe or across the room.

What do you mean when you say you are looking for “authored” work?

We are looking for a story that could only be told by the applicant who is proposing the project. They will have ownership of the story, outstanding access, and a demonstrable passion for the subject at hand.

Instead of  ‘authored’, Alan Whicker tended to use the phrase ‘signed documentary’ to describe his work. It meant the same thing. Whicker’s World programmes showed the world from Alan’s point of view as he interacted with it. In the same spirit we are looking for your take on another world that remains truthful, professional and acknowledges other points of view. We are also looking for wit and flair in the way you script, edit, select and juxtapose your contributors and perhaps reinvent, or stretch, the grammar of the form to new heights. In other words, we are looking for a story well told. In this way a documentary with no presenter or narrator may still be considered ‘authored’.

How do I apply?

Apply via the online form above. Alternatively, you may download the form above and send it to ap***@wh***********.com. If you have concerns, contact us at in**@wh***********.com. We can only accept completed application forms. Ensure that you are eligible to apply according to our criteria and terms and conditions before starting your application.

How long will the application form take me?

We cannot put a timeframe on this, but you should set aside ample time to complete the form. We recommend that you read through the application form in advance in order to fully prepare your answers and materials ahead of time. Visit our application checklist for more information.

How long is a podcast series?

There are no rules on this, but a guideline would be a minimum of 6 episodes. There are no rules on episode length either, but a guideline would be 10,  28 minutes or just under an hour for each. We will accept single programme proposals as well. You have to decide ‘what is my story worth’ and ‘what is the best way to let it unfold?’

If I am selected as a finalist, who pays for me to get to Sheffield and what happens if I cannot make it?

We welcome applications from across the globe but can currently only afford up to £400 per finalist team for their travel. In extreme circumstances exceptions may be considered. We do not have the option of live online pitching.

Who decides on the long list?

The Whickers are pre-selectors. In other words we decide which proposals best fit the criteria and pass them to the programming gurus at Sheffield Doc Fest. They choose the finalists. On the day of the pitch three judges representing different aspects of the podcast industry will decide who gets a funding award.

What happened to the Radio and Audio Funding Award, the RAFA?

We have moved away from supporting single documentaries exclusively to podcast series. We feel this more fairly reflects the needs and opportunities of today’s audio industry, and supports a format that is more likely to be funded in today’s world. As ever, our ultimate aim is to give emerging audio talent a voice and a career.

What Happened to the Documentary Audio Recognition Award, the DARA?

We loved judging the Documentary Audio Recognition Award very much. However, funding fresh talent at the development stage is closer to Alan Whicker’s founding vision. The DARA celebrated the ‘best’ finished work by those already in the public eye. By closing the DARA, we were able to offer more funding to emerging talent.

Have a question that hasn’t been answered above? Contact us at in**@wh***********.com

Steve Titherington

Steve Titherington is Sr. Commissioning Editor at the BBC World Service for the last seven years with a special brief to lead bold editorial projects and create new program formats. New shows include The Why Factor; Trending, the Food Chain and The Inquiry – and BBC MINUTE, a new 24/7 global news service for young people listening via pop music stations or music streaming sites. Before that Steve has been Executive Editor of Global News, Deputy Head of WS News Programmes and Editor of the World Service Newsroom where he led award winning coverage during 9-ll and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was Launch Editor of the WS 24 hour News stream and has also led major news coverage for the World Service in the USA, Russia, and China. He has also been a reporter for File on 4 and for World TV and has reported from around the world from Haiti to Hong Kong.

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Pam Fraser Solomon

Pam Fraser Solomon is an award-winning producer/director. She was a senior BBC Drama producer and has directed over a hundred hours of audio dramas. Her television credits include EastEnders, Holby City and BBC2’s award-winning documentary Moira Stuart: In Search of Wilberforce. Pam was also a script editor for the autobiographical feature film Farming, development producer for the BBC short film One Night In White Satin, produced the Radio 4 series Stories From Notting Hill, was producer/director for DTA and Goldsmiths University New Cross Fire audio drama project and worked on Audible’s Getting Better: The Fight For The NHS.

Pam is currently producing a documentary feature film and a slipstream short film, she is also the producer/director of a new drama podcast series for Spotify. Pam is the Chair of Theatre Deli and Head of MA in Creative Producing at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

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Eleanor McDowall

Eleanor McDowall is a Director at Falling Tree Productions. She is the series producer of BBC Radio 4’s Short Cuts, which won the Gold Award for Best Radio Podcast at the British Podcast Awards in both 2017 and 2018. Her documentary work has received a Prix Europa, The Whickers’ ‘Audio Recognition Award’ twice and the Gold Award for Best Factual Storytelling at the Radio Academy’s ARIAs. In her spare time she runs the Radio Atlas podcast – an English-language home for subtitled audio from around the world – and Field Recordings.

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Ibby Caputo

Ibby Caputo is a journalist and the winner of The RAFA 2019. Her winning documentary, A Perfect Match was broadcast on the BBC World Service and NPR. It drove up registrations on the Be The Match National Bone Marrow Donor registry in the United States, and has been incorporated into curriculum at the University of Cape Town and at Harvard University.

 

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Peregrine Andrews

Peregrine ‘Pez’ Andrews is an award-winning radio producer, mixer and sound designer, operating mainly from his Moving Air Studio in West London. His mixing work includes prime-time TV, film, art installations and lots of radio, working particularly with Falling Tree Productions. In 2011 he won the Radio Production Award for best sound designer and his own productions have won two silver Sony awards and a nomination. His Sound of Sport, a deconstruction of the soundtrack of TV sport, remains his most popular work and became a 99% Invisible podcast.

Peregrine also lectures part-time at Ravensbourne University and the Met Film School.

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Hugh Levinson

Hugh Levinson is a commissioning editor for factual output for BBC Radio 4. He previously worked as a producer, reporter and editor for BBC Radio Merseyside then The World at One on Radio 4 before moving to current affairs, producing and editing series like Crossing Continents, Analysis, From Our Own Correspondent, The Bottom Line, the Reith Lectures and podcasts including Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel, The Ratline, The Lazarus Heist, Deeply Human and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast. He also worked for Newsnight and for The Japan Times newspaper in Tokyo. He likes talking about guitars unless forcibly stopped.

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Leanne Alie

Leanne Alie is a podcast producer, presenter and consultant. She is passionate about making content for diverse audiences and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the audio industry. Leanne is a leading voice in the UK podcast industry, having carved out opportunities for creators from diverse backgrounds through implementing diversity strategy across a variety of influential organisations such as Audio UK, Digital Radio UK, London Podcast Festival and The British Podcast Awards. She is also a trustee of the Multitrack Fellowship and is currently the Commissioning Producer for BBC Sounds Audio Lab. 

Leanne is also the host and creator of Coiled podcast; a documentary podcast exploring Black hair in all its forms and textures, which has been featured in the Radio Times, Stylist, The Guardian and was named one of Apple Podcasts Top Podcasts of 2021.

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Lucy Taylor

Lucy Taylor is an investigative environment journalist and the co-creator of the narrative BBC podcast Buried, described by The Guardian as “one of the most significant releases of the year”. She has previously lived and worked in Tanzania and Russia and her stories across the world have sparked UN investigations, police inquiries and become viral hits.

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