Al Jazeera Wins Gold, Silver at New York Festivals Radio Awards

Flanked by industry peers on Monday in New York, Al Jazeera Digital received a Gold Radio award for its current affairs podcast The Take and a Silver Radio award for its sports and lifestyle podcast Game of Our Lives.

The trophies were conferred during the New York Festivals Radio Awards gala in Manhattan in recognition of a wide spectrum of radio content submitted from 35 countries across a variety of genres, including breaking news, podcasts, audiobooks, live events, audio dramas and documentaries.

The Gold Radio award marked a first industry recognition for The Take, which began its weekly production less than a year ago.

Hosted by Malika Bilal, The Take interviews journalists from Al Jazeera’s international bureaus to take a deeper look at the events that are shaping our world.

Al Jazeera Digital’s head of audio, Graelyn Brashear received the awards in front of a packed audience.

Fellow winners and nominees included industry peers from The Guardian, BBC, Vox and CBC.

“It’s an honour to receive these awards on behalf of our talented, hard-working audio teams,” Brashear said from the sidelines of the ceremony.

“The Gold award for The Take is also a win for Al Jazeera’s correspondents and producers in TV and Digital, whose firsthand knowledge of the regions they’re covering help us to produce a show that truly covers the globe.”

“Podcasting is new for us at the Al Jazeera Media Network,” said Carlos van Meek, Director of Digital Innovation and Programming, “so this win confirms there is a home for our content in audio and that our team is on the right track editorially.”

“We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished in a short time and with the resources at our disposal. I’d ask discerning listeners to watch this space. More award-winning content is on the way.”

Drawing upon the appeal of the world’s most popular sport, Game of our Lives won the Silver Radio Award for its treatment of football as a metaphor for global living.

Weaving together interviews with athletes, cultural icons and commentators, Game of our Lives spans the interconnected worlds of sportsmanship, politics and cinema.

The podcast emerged ahead of competitors ESPN Films, BBC Radio 5 Live and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.