NPR Seeks New Podcast Voices From America’s Growing Senior Population.

After years of encouraging students to pick up a microphone, NPR is turning to the other end of the age spectrum for its newest podcast talent search. The public radio organization has launched the “Senior Podcast Challenge,” inviting the roughly 60 million Americans age 65 and older to create their own podcasts and compete for a chance to have their work heard on NPR.

The move brings NPR’s podcast competition model to the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and comes as older Americans are becoming a more significant part of the podcast audience.

Through Nov. 30, entrants can submit original audio stories of up to eight minutes. Like the student challenges, the content will have a national stage. NPR is planning to feature selected entries on its programs and air the grand-prize winner on “Weekend Edition Sunday.”

“Here at NPR, we’d like to hear those stories,” Editor Steve Drummond says in announcing the contest. “And so this fall, we’re asking you to hit ‘record’ and send them to us, in audio form.”

The initiative flips a podcast competition strategy NPR has already successfully used with younger generations.

Its “Student Podcast Challenge” launched in 2018 and has since introduced tens of thousands of young people to audio storytelling. NPR followed that effort with its “College Podcast Challenge” in 2020. Now it is essentially taking the same concept from the classroom to retirement communities, grandparents and Americans embarking on second or third acts.

NPR is casting a wide net for what participants can talk about. Potential subjects include retirement, living on a fixed income, health and healthcare costs, relationships, travel, grandchildren and new careers. Entrants can also interview friends and family members or reflect on their careers, family histories and experiences with major historical events. But NPR says it is not looking only for personal reminiscences. Entries can range from personal narratives and interviews to fully reported audio journalism.

While students can lean on their schools for support, seniors will most likely go it alone. Participants can create their entries using a smartphone, computer and readily available editing software, and NPR is directing potential entrants to podcasting resources originally developed for its student competitions. But the organization says no professional equipment or previous podcasting experience is required. 

There are some limits. Entries must be entirely original and no longer than eight minutes. Copyrighted music is prohibited, and NPR says artificial intelligence cannot be used in the writing or presentation of an entry. Creators can submit more than one podcast as long as they complete a separate entry form for each.

NPR plans to select several finalists and a grand-prize winner early next year. The winner and a guest will receive a trip to NPR headquarters in Washington, where they will be able to watch — and listen — as the winning podcast airs live on “Weekend Edition Sunday” in January or February.

For NPR, the contest represents more than an effort to get another generation listening to podcasts. This time, it wants an older generation to create them.

“Now, we’re excited to hear from seniors in their own voices,” Drummond says.