New York Festivals Radio Awards Opens Entries.

The New York Festivals Radio Awards has opened entries for its 2027 competition, marking the awards program’s 70th anniversary of recognizing creative achievement in audio storytelling.

The Radio Awards, which began in 1957, recognizes work from radio stations, networks, independent producers, publishers and podcast creators around the world. The program has expanded over the years to reflect changes in the audio industry and now recognizes work across multiple platforms and formats.

The 2027 competition includes 14 category groups covering areas such as news programs, documentaries, talk programs, on-air talent, craft and entertainment. Additional categories recognize digital, podcast and audiobook content, as well as programming formats and promotion, open and ID work.

Two new categories have been added for 2027: Crime Drama Podcast and Kids & Family Podcast. The Kids & Family Audio Book and Kids & Family Program categories also have been updated. (For a complete category rundown, click HERE.)

“Here’s to Radio — the original social media,” Rose Anderson, Executive Vice President of New York Festivals, says in a news release. “Awards do more than keep score: they honor creative excellence, mastery of craft, they can change your life, and they offer an opportunity to take your place in industry history!”

The 2026 Radio Awards included three Grand Tower Award winners: “Sea of Lies” from CBC/What’s the Story Sounds in the Narrative/Documentary Podcast category; “Uncuffed Season 4” from KALW Public Media in Social Issues Documentary; and “Wolf Valley” from Almost Tangible in Entertainment: Drama Program.

The 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Stephen Capus, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and former President of NBC News. The award recognizes industry leaders whose work has made a lasting contribution to the media landscape.

The Radio Awards also partners with the National Press Club to recognize audio journalists and reporters. Since 2023, the National Press Club Award has honored the top-scoring news program across the Breaking News Story Coverage, Continuing News Story Coverage, Nonfiction Series and News Podcast categories. “Dear Rachelle” from News Corp Australia/True Crime Australia received the 2026 National Press Club Award for Investigative Journalism Podcast.

Entries for the Radio Awards come from more than 30 countries each year. New York Festivals said its 2027 Grand Jury will include award-winning audio-content leaders from six continents. Entries are judged on creativity, production quality, writing, direction, content presentation, effectiveness and audience relevance.