The APAs from AudioUK announces Amazon Music as Pay What You Can scheme supporter for 2026
AudioUK is delighted to be continuing its work with Amazon Music on the Pay What You Can scheme for the APAs 2026: offering free or discounted entry to the awards for those who would otherwise be unable to take part due to financial constraints.
The APAs are sponsored by Audible and organised by AudioUK, the industry body dedicated to advancing the podcast and audio industry.
The Awards, now in their sixteenth year, recognise and celebrate outstanding achievement across the podcast and audio industry: spanning podcasts, audiobooks, audio drama, sound design, radio, presenting, and more.
This year is the biggest APAs yet, with 30 categories and six new additions to the lineup. Brand new for 2026 are the International Breakthrough Award, Executive Producer of the Year, Experimental Sound Design, and Best Use of Video. Non-Fiction Audiobook and Ensemble Cast also become standalone categories for the first time.
There are categories ranging from production excellence across Comedy, Factual & Documentary, Audio Drama, Arts & Culture, Music, Entertainment, Lifestyle & Society, Audiobooks, Sound Design and more, plus a variety of on-mic and emerging talent awards. There are also the coveted awards for Production Company of the Year, Publisher or Network of the Year, Producer of the Year, and the new Executive Producer of the Year.
Most categories are open to individual producers as well as teams of producers working closely together, in recognition that many productions cannot be narrowed down to the work of a single producer.
The Pay What You Can scheme was first introduced in 2021 to remove financial barriers to taking part in the awards. It remains one of the APAs’ most important commitments to equity and accessibility across the podcast and audio industry.
Chris Baughen, CEO of AudioUK, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Amazon Music for continuing to support the Pay What You Can scheme. At AudioUK, we’re committed to ensuring that financial circumstances never prevent great work from being recognised. By helping make the APAs more accessible, this partnership opens the door for more creators, producers and production companies to celebrate their achievements, raise their profile and progress their careers within the UK’s podcasting and audio industry.”
Megan Bradshaw, Head of Spoken Word (EU, ANZ, IN) at Amazon Music added; “We’re proud to be collaborating with AudioUK for a fifth consecutive year, helping the next generation of audio creators gain the access, visibility and recognition they deserve.”
To access the Pay What You Can scheme, please contact roshan.roberts@audiouk.org.uk
About The APAs from AudioUK
The APAs from AudioUK was first held in 2010 under the name Radio Production Awards/RPAs, and became the APAs in 2016. The awards recognise both on and off-air talent.
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