2024 Winners
On 22 March the five winners of the 2024 Charles Parker Prize were announced by Hugh Levinson, BBC Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor for Speech Programmes. The five winning features will be broadcast in the New Storytellers Series on BBC Radio 4 later in the year and will continue to be available, as are the winning features from previous years. This year the judges were Talia Augustidis, Rachel Cunliffe, Mel Harris, Jo Meek, Steven Rajam, Philip Sellars, Tammi Walker and Simon Elmes (chair). Here are the results and the judges’ citations for the five winners and five others who were nominated for the Prize.
Gold Award
Prizewinners
The Outcast Dead and Alive – Grace Reeve, Goldsmith’s, University of London
Grace’s programme features Crossbones cemetery in Southwark, where the bodies of sex-workers from centuries past are buried and which today has become a sort of alternative ecological spiritual garden. The citation of the judges said: The execution is beautiful, the actuality strong and the sound effects and music components exquisitely done. It is very moving, blending history with the politics and meaning behind what's going on today. It's very powerful to have both this space and this radio feature commemorating sex workers; I loved it!.
Fight Fair – Libby Liburd (University College London)
This maker has real raw talent. It was very moving, and terrific to hear her determination. A marvellous programme, by a maker who knows absolutely what she’s doing.
Friends of the Wall - Evan Green (Goldsmiths)
A simple and yet riveting idea, told through marvellously articulate speakers. A powerful story with a lot of heart and a fantastic piece of work.
Full Circle - Amy Bartlett (University of the West of England)
An impressive piece of work, highly personal, well-told with really powerful use of music to move along the storytelling. I was gripped and horrified.
The National Language of Nowhere - Naomi Bloomstein (UCL)
Very, very accomplished with such a creative use of the medium, where the music really drove it. A beautifully made programme and definitely in the top bracket on so many levels.
Other Nominees
All Night Long - Darya Kalsi (Goldsmiths)
An enjoyable impressive entry with such a good balance of different moods, personalities and characters! A really well made, musical piece.
A Recipe for Recovery - Anna de Wolff Evans (UCL)
A beautifully told story, very gentle but hopeful, sonically interesting and easy on the ear.
RE:Connection - Chantal Romain (UCL)
Intriguing: it told a story that was both very personal and still relatable with lively scenes and a refreshing spontaneity and a vivid quality of recollection.
The Slidey Rock - James Bonney (In the Dark)
I loved the sense of playfulness and fun, the sheer joy and childlike wonder of the subject, conveying the sense of wildness and speed, the sense of exhilaration. Joyous.
The Tale of the two Spoons - Irene Dani (In the Dark)
Absolutely charming and beautifully and musically put together: a real “audio delight”. Well made and unusual, it felt refreshingly light but without losing depth.
You can see all the nominees talking about their
features to Sara Parker in a video interview.
