Grants and Prizes

Prizes for radio drama broadcast

The 2009 Awards

The Imison Award - £1,500 to the writer

Encourages new talent by rewarding the best original radio drama by a writer new to radio and transmitted within the UK during 1st January - 31st December each year. Judges are the Broadcasting Committee of the Society of Authors.
 
The work must be the first dramatic work by the writer or writers that has been broadcast. It may also include the first episode from an original series or serial. An adaptation for radio of a piece originally written for another medium and published/broadcast/performed will not be eligible.

Submissions will be accepted from any party, but must be received by 9 February 2009. Submissions for the award must consist of a completed nomination form as well as three copies of the writer's original script and recording of the broadcast. Further copies will be requested if the work is short-listed.

Please email a supporting statement, synopsis and author biography to jmccrum@societyofauthors.org (each no more than 250 words). 

Entries will not be returned and should be sent to Jo McCrum, The Society of Authors, 84 Drayton Gardens, London, SW10 9SB.

• Download the Award Guidelines

For further information about the Imison Award please contact Jo McCrum at jmccrum@societyofauthors.org or on tel: 020 7373 6642

The Tinniswood Award - £1,500 to the writer

Honours the best original radio drama script broadcast in the UK during 1st January – 31st December each year.

Submissions are producer only and are restricted to a maximum of two entries per producer. We would like to encourage producers to send in quality scripts and would prefer a script that you are confident is the best.
 
The work must be an original piece for radio, and may also include the first episode from an original series or serial.

• Download the Award Guidelines

When submitting 15-minute episodes from a series or serial we will require consecutive episodes (including the first episode) to make up at least 45 minutes.

Judges for this year’s award are Roger Elsgood, Colin Shaw and Kate Chisholm. The judges reserve the right to call in the subsequent episodes if required. 

We welcome 30-minute plays provided that they were stand-alone and that characters and situations are original to the writer. An adaptation for radio of a piece originally written for any other medium will not be eligible.

Submissions should consist of a nomination form from the producer setting out the date and time of transmission, the broadcasting body concerned, along with a non-refundable entry fee of £50, four copies of the script (as broadcast), a supporting statement, synopsis and biography of the writer (each no more than 250 words) by 9 February 2009.

Entries will not be returned and should be sent to Jo McCrum, The Society of Authors, 84 Drayton Gardens, London, SW10 9SB. Cheques should be made out to ‘The Society of Authors' or BACs details are on the entry forms. 

For further information about the Tinniswood Award please contact Jo McCrum at jmccrum@societyofauthors.org or on tel: 020 7373 6642. 

See also

The Imison Award

The Tinniswood Award

Radio Drama Awards - previous winners