The Sony Radio Academy Awards Committee are starting to put together this year’s judging panels.

Each category is evaluated by a separate group of judges, drawn from across the full breadth of the UK Radio Industry. Judging an individual category can involve listening to as many as 60 hours of output from Commercial, BBC, Internet and Community stations.

If you believe you have a broad enough understanding of UK radio and are able to be objective about the work of your colleagues and your competitors, then perhaps you might want to put your name forward for consideration as a judge in the future.

You’ll need to demonstrate substantial understanding of UK radio programming in general and to indicate any specialisms such as feature making, special event coverage or promo production that you believe may be relevant. Judges give their time on a voluntary basis but do receive a complimentary invitation to the awards ceremony in May.

For further information or to put yourself or a colleague forward, please contact Riza Turner at the Secretariat on 020 7723 0106 or email riza@radioawards.org

The cost of entering the Sonys has only increased by £5 since 1996?

That’s just a 13% increase across a 13 year period in which inflation is recorded at 32.7%.

This year, the price has been frozen for the fourth year running to £85.00 plus VAT.

The truth is, there is no mystery!  The Awards were started as a commercial venture by Alan Zafer in 1983 and ZAFER Associates produce and direct the direct the Sony Radio Academy Awards with the continuing support of Sony UK.

The Awards are funded by entry fees, ticket sales and Sony’s sponsorship and organised by an industry-wide Committee whose key responsibilities include the review and introduction of the categories and the appointment of the judging panels.

Since 1998, the Chairman of the Committee has been chosen by the Radio Academy, in conjunction with ZAFER Associates and together they choose each year’s Committee.  Committee members are chosen not as representatives of their own employers, but because of their personal standing within the industry.

The 2010 Committee includes an independent producer, a senior executive from the RadioCentre, a Community Radio director, seven senior programmers from commercial radio and seven senior programmers from the BBC.  As well as its Chief Executive, the Committee also includes five Radio Academy Trustees.