The 2027 competition adds categories for Crime Drama and Kids & Family Podcasts, while continuing to uphold journalistic excellence with the National Press Club Award.
“Awards go beyond keeping score: they celebrate creative excellence and mastery of craft, they have the power to transform lives, and they provide a chance to secure your place in industry history!”— Rose Anderson, Executive Vice President, New York FestivalsNEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The New York Festivals® 2027 Radio Awards®, marking seven decades of creative distinction in audio storytelling, is now accepting entries.
New York Festivals® Radio Awards offers a worldwide stage that honors creative excellence and innovation within audio storytelling. Since its founding in 1957, NYF has recognized outstanding work across diverse genres and platforms, adapting alongside the shifting audio landscape to highlight the ideas, talent, and narratives shaping the medium’s future.
The 2027 Radio Awards comprises 14 category groups, providing recognition across numerous disciplines ranging from News Programs, Documentaries, and Talk Programs to On-Air Talent, Craft, and Entertainment. Specialized category groups shine a light on pioneering efforts in Digital, Podcast, and Audio Book content, while Programming Formats and Promotion/Open & ID acknowledge the creative standards and imaging innovation propelling radio forward.
This year, NYF’s Radio Awards further broadens its acknowledgment of the expanding audio environment by introducing two new categories: Crime Drama Podcast and Kids & Family Podcast, along with two revised categories: Kids & Family Audio Book and Kids & Family Program.
“Here’s to Radio – the original social media. Awards go beyond keeping score: they celebrate creative excellence and mastery of craft, they have the power to transform lives, and they provide a chance to secure your place in industry history!”—Rose Anderson, Executive Vice President, New York Festivals
Browse the 2027 NYF Radio Awards categories: https://radio.newyorkfestivals.com/Competition/Categories.
In 2026, New York Festivals Radio Awards lauded excellence in audio storytelling by naming three Grand Tower Award recipients: Sea of Lies, CBC / What’s the Story Sounds, Narrative/Documentary Podcast; Uncuffed Season 4, KALW Public Media, Social Issues Documentary; and Wolf Valley, Almost Tangible, Entertainment: Drama Program. These world-class winning programs elevated the bar for global audio storytelling.
The 2026 New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award recognized distinguished news leader Stephen Capus, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and former President of NBC News. This annual honor salutes prominent industry figures whose accomplishments and contributions have advanced their field and left an enduring mark on the media landscape.
Through its collaboration with the National Press Club, New York Festivals celebrates audio journalists and reporters who leverage their skills to tell important stories and keep audiences informed. Established in 2023, the National Press Club Award has acknowledged the top-scoring news program across the Breaking News Story Coverage, Continuing News Story Coverage, Nonfiction Series, and News Podcast categories. In 2026, Dear Rachelle (News Corp Australia/True Crime Australia) received the 2026 National Press Club Award for Investigative Journalism Podcast.
New York Festivals revealed the 2026 Radio Awards winning entries during the Storytellers Gala, held May 21 at 6 p.m. EDT. The virtual event was anchored from iconic Central Park in New York City. More than 150 teams submitted their acceptances from across the globe, and industry leaders offered behind-the-scenes commentary along with their perspectives on storytelling’s future. Explore the 2026 Storytellers Gala; https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/storytellers-gala.
Every year, the New York Festivals® Radio Awards welcomes entries from radio stations, networks, independent producers, publishers, and podcast creators in over 30 countries, recognizing the world’s most innovative audio storytellers.
New York Festivals invites accomplished award-winning leaders from the audio content creation world across six continents to serve on its esteemed 2027 Radio Awards Grand Jury. Invitations for this year’s jury will be dispatched in the coming weeks. Entries are judged based on creativity, production quality, writing, direction, content presentation, effectiveness, and audience relevance.
“New York Festivals Radio Awards® honors the exceptional and innovative content being created today on all continents and seen across all platforms. We respect the achievements of the many talented men and women who make up the worldwide creative community. You take your work seriously, and so do we.”—Rose Anderson, Executive Vice President, New York Festivals
All award-winning entries from the 2027 competition will be proudly displayed in the Radio Awards Winners’ Showcase.
The submission deadline for the 2027 Radio Awards competition is January 31, 2027. To enter the 2027 Radio Awards, view the 2026 Radio Winners' Showcase, or for further details visit: https://radiohome.newyorkfestivals.com/.
To be eligible for the 2027 competition, entries must have been produced, released, screened, aired, published, issued, or streamed between January 1, 2026, and the deadline of January 31, 2027, and must not have received a trophy in the same category for the same episode in the 2026 Radio Awards.
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Celebrating the spirit of global audio, NYF Radio’s Spotlight on Radio honors the storytellers, award-winning work, and 70-year legacy of New York Festivals.
