Australian Audio Spans Podcast, Radio, Audiobook, and Voice-over. For the First Time, So Do Its Awards

Australia’s audio industry is growing faster than it has ever been recognised. Radio reaches millions daily. Podcasting has become a booming multi-million-dollar economy. Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in publishing. Voice-over artists have shaped the sound of Australian life for decades. The industry has never been more active, more diverse, or more in need of an initiative that can hold all of it together.

That initiative is SONARR. Short for Sound and Narrative, it covers the full audio landscape across Podcast, Radio, Audiobook, and Voice-over. With 35 categories, a dedicated $10,000 prize pool split evenly between Commercial and Indie streams, practitioner-led judging, and a formal gala dinner on 15 October 2026 at Machine Hall, SONARR is not a replacement for what came before. It is something the industry has not had before.

The Australian Commercial Radio Awards ran for decades before ending in 2025. The last Australian Podcast Awards was held in 2024. Pariya Taherzadeh, an award-winning executive producer and academic, founded SONARR in response: an independent program that spans the full medium, recognises independent creators on equal footing with major networks, and pairs genuine accessibility with the prestige of a proper gala presentation.

Built for the Audio Industry as It Exists Today

Australia’s audio industry has four active and disruptive cores: Podcast, Radio, Audiobook, and Voice-over. Each is growing and each has produced exceptional work. SONARR’s 35 categories are organised into six judging blocks spanning Sound, Narrative, Voice, Impact, Vision, and the Grand Prize, covering everything from technical sound design and sonic identity to long-form storytelling and multiplatform marketing.

The program explicitly recognises creators who have historically been marginalised in industry awards, with dedicated categories for First Nations creators, CALD, LGBTQIA+, female creators, students, and independent producers. Submission fees are structured to be genuinely accessible to independent and emerging creators, not only those backed by major networks.

AFTRS Named as Founding Educational Partner

The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has joined SONARR as its Founding Educational Partner, with naming rights attached to the ‘AFTRS Narrative Excellence Award’, recognising outstanding original audio storytelling across fiction and non-fiction work.

“Audio in Australia is not one simple industry. It’s a vast, multifaceted world of radio, podcast, audiobook, and voice, converging into something entirely new every day. SONARR exists to recognise that convergence, to elevate the craft that drives it, and to make sure the creators building this future are finally seen. Not just the biggest ones, but the independent, the regional, and the underrepresented.” - Pariya Taherzadeh, Executive Producer and Founder, SONARR Awards

Pariya Taherzadeh. Pic: Amirnasser Dabaghian

The 35 SONARR Award Categories

Sound

• Audio Production Award
• Sound Design & Atmosphere Award
• Original Sonic Identity Award

Narrative -  AFTRS Narrative Excellence Award 

• Audio Drama Award
• Investigative & Documentary Award
• Cultural & Social Insight Award
• News & Public Discourse Award
• Knowledge & Learning Award
• STEM Award
• Business & Entrepreneurship Award
• Health & Wellbeing Award
• Entertainment & Lifestyle Award
• Comedy Award
• Youth & Family Award
• Arts & Culture Award
• Music Award

Voice

• Indie Creator Excellence Award
• First Nations Creator Excellence Award
• Female Creator Excellence Award
• LGBTQIA+ Creator Excellence Award
• CALD Creator Excellence Award
• Student Creator Excellence Award
• Host / Presenter Excellence Award
• Producer Excellence Award
• Performance / Acting Excellence Award
• Network Excellence Award

Impact

• Community Wave Maker Award
• Innovation Award
• Audience Connection Award

Vision

• Video for Audio Award
• Visual Identity Award
• Events for Audio Award
• Marketing for Audio Award

Grand Award

• Audio Work of the Year (Commercial/Indie)