The Whickers Podcast Pitch Award 2025

We are delighted to announce that The Whickers Podcast Pitch 2025 is now OPEN.

The Podcast Pitch is a joint initiative with Sheffield DocFest. This is the awards’ 3rd year and we are thrilled to announce that The Whickers are increasing the prize money by a whopping 200% to £15,000 production award to the winner and more than doubling the 2nd place award to £5,000. Six finalists will also receive a free Industry pass to Sheffield Documentary Festival in June 2025, 2 nights’ accommodation, a contribution of up to £400 per project towards their travel expenses and access to top industry professionals and commissioners of the audio world.

The Podcast Pitch follows the growing global trend towards solo, episodic or single -episode, listening to factual audio on the move. The application is open to all independent podcast makers who fulfil the core criteria detailed below.

Key dates for 2025 round:

• 28th February 2025 ((23:59 GMT)) Applications close
• Late April 2025: Shortlisted projects announced
• June 2025: Finalists pitch their projects at Sheffield DocFest
• June 2025: Winner of Podcast Pitch Award announced at Sheffield DocFest Awards Ceremony

Application form is HERE

About The Whickers

The Whickers were established in 2015 to fund and recognise original and innovative documentary. We seek to use the generous legacy of our namesake, pioneering broadcaster Alan Whicker, to support emerging film and audio documentary-makers in the funding and production of director led programmes. The Whickers are comprised of two annual awards: the Film & TV Funding Award and The Podcast Pitch Award. We also run a Bursary Scheme in four regions of the world where funding for documentary is limited for socio-political or economic reasons.

About Sheffield DocFest:

Sheffield DocFest is one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, known for its cutting-edge programming and commitment to showcasing the best in documentary storytelling. Each year, the festival brings together filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences to celebrate the art of documentary.