The Audio and Radio Industry Awards (ARIAS, ARIAs, or UK ARIAs) are annual awards awarded for excellence in UK radio and audio presenting and production. Established in 2016 by the Radio Academy, they succeeded the Radio Academy Awards, the academy's honours system of 1983 to 2014 (there were no awards for 2015). They are awarded for productions in the previous calendar year. In contrast to many other media award ceremonies, three winners are selected by judging panels for each category and graded Gold, Silver or Bronze.
In May 2019 the Young ARIAs were inaugurated at the BBC Radio Theatre in London in a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 1's Matt Edmondson and Kiss FM host Daisy Maskell. The very next year they were rebranded as the Young Audio Awards.
Notable omissions Since their launch, the Audio and Radio Industry Awards have been shunned by the biggest commercial radio group in the UK, Global Radio. Although the Radio Academy is not supported by Global Radio this does not preclude it from entering programmes or presenters from its stations, namely Heart, Capital, LBC, Capital Xtra, Classic FM, Smooth Radio, Radio X or Gold.
ARIAs 2016 Nominations for the 16 inaugural award categories were unveiled on 19 September 2016 by Radio 1's Scott Mills and Pandora Christie of Kiss FM. The shortlist for each category was limited to five nominees.
+Presented: 19 October 2016 at the First Direct Arena, Leeds – Host: Sara Cox Best News Coverage Best Entertainment Production Best Audio Dramatisation Gold: The Buncrana Pier Tragedy (BBC Radio Foyle) Silver: A New Life in Europe: The Dhnie Family (BBC Radio 4) Bronze: PM: Jo Cox's Murder (BBC Radio 4) Gold: Greg James (BBC Radio 1) Silver: The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show (Absolute Radio) Bronze: The Pin (BBC Radio 4) Gold: lament (BBC Radio Drama London for BBC Radio 4) Silver: Cuttin’ It (BBC Radio Drama London for Radio 4) Bronze: Merseyside Blitz: An Unconquered People (BBC Radio Merseyside) Best National Speech Breakfast Show Best Local Breakfast Show Best National Music Breakfast Show Gold: Today (BBC Radio 4) Silver: 5 Live Breakfast (BBC Radio 5 Live) Bronze: Good Morning Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland) Gold: Georgey at Breakfast (BBC Radio York) Silver: Sam and Amy (Gem) Bronze: Morgan in the Morning (BBC Radio Stoke) Gold: The Chris Evans Breakfast Show (BBC Radio 2) Silver: The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show (Absolute Radio) Bronze: Emily Segal (Heat Radio) Best Sports Show Best Digital Audio Service Podcast of the Year Gold: 606 (Shooting Shark Productions for BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Boro are Back! (BBC Radio Tees) Bronze: 5 Live Sport (BBC Radio 5 Live) Gold: AudioBoom Silver: Live @ Wimbledon Radio (IMG Radio on behalf of the All England Lawn Tennis Club) Bronze: Acast Gold: The Story of Izzy Dix (Newsbeat for BBC Radio 1) Silver: The Modern Mann (Rethink Audio) Bronze: Storytime with Boon: "This is Distorted" Best Digital Innovation The Radio Academy Award Speech Broadcaster of the Year Gold: The BBC iPlayer Radio App Silver: BBC Radio 2 Country Bronze: Acast Gold: Sound Digital for D2 Silver: Bronze: Gold: Stephen Nolan (BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Kirsty Young – Desert Island Discs (BBC Radio 4) Bronze: Nihal (BBC Asian Network) Music Broadcaster of the Year Best Local Station Best National Station Gold: MistaJam (BBC Radio 1Xtra) Silver: Jamie Cullum – Folded Wing (BBC Radio 2) Bronze: Stephen McCauley (BBC Radio Foyle) Gold: Hallam FM Silver: Forth 1 Bronze: BBC Essex Gold: BBC Radio 2 Silver: BBC Radio 1Xtra Bronze: Absolute Radio Audio Moment of the Year Gold: The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away (TBI Media for BBC Radio 4) Silver: Where are you going New York? (Loftus Media for BBC World Service) Bronze: The Archers: Helen Stabs Rob (BBC Radio Drama Birmingham for BBC Radio 4)
ARIAs 2017 Nominations were revealed on 18 September 2017 by Virgin Radio presenters Kate Lawler and Matt Richardson. The number of categories was increased to 23, each with a shortlist of six nominees.
+Presented: 19 October 2017 at the First Direct Arena, Leeds – Host: Scott Mills Best New Presenter Best New Show Best News Coverage Gold: Andrew Flintoff (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Andrew Scott, U2@40 documentary (TBI Media / Absolute Radio) Bronze: Gemma Atkinson (Key 103) Gold: Flintoff, Savage & the Ping Pong Guy (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Quake (BBC Radio 4 / BBC Radio Production North) Bronze: Soundtracking with Edith Bowman (Ora et Labora / Edith Bowman) Gold: London Bridge Attacks (Stephen Nolan for BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: PM: The High Street Abduction (Andrew Bomford for BBC Radio 4) Bronze: BBC Radio Leeds Best Speech Presenter – Breakfast Best Speech Presenter – Non breakfast Sports Show of the Year Gold: Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Vanessa Feltz (BBC Radio London) Bronze: Liz Green (BBC Radio Leeds) Gold: Iain Lee (Talkradio) Silver: Jeremy Vine (BBC Radio 2) Bronze: Mike Sweeney (BBC Radio Manchester) Gold: 5 Live Sport (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Our summer: The Story of Wales at Euro 2016 (BBC Radio Wales) Bronze: On the Sporting Couch (talkSPORT) Best Music Presenter – Breakfast Best Music Presenter – Non breakfast Best Specialist Music Show Gold: Christian O'Connell (Absolute Radio) Silver: JACK’S Morning Glory (JACK FM) Bronze: Chris Evans (BBC Radio 2) Gold: Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) Silver: Richard Allinson (Magic Radio) Bronze: Stephen McCauley (BBC Radio Foyle & BBC Radio Ulster) Gold: Benji B (TBI Media / BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 1Xtra) Silver: The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (7digital / BBC Radio 2) Bronze: Soundtracking with Edith Bowman (Ora et Labora / Edith Bowman) Best Entertainment / Comedy Production Best Factual Storytelling Best Fictional Storytelling Gold: The Frank Skinner Show (Avalon TV / Absolute Radio) Silver: A Normal Life – Henry Normal (BBC Studios Comedy) Bronze: 24-hour “LOLathon” for Red Nose Day – Scott Mills & Chris Stark (BBC Radio 1) Gold: The Enemy Within (Falling Tree Productions / BBC Radio 3) Silver: Hillsborough: Trevor and Jenni's Journey (BBC Radio Merseyside for BBC Radio 5 Live) Bronze: The Tale of June and Gretel (BBC Radio Berkshire) Gold: Life Lines (BBC Radio Drama) Silver: Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy (BBC Studios Comedy) Bronze: Comment is Free (BBC Radio 4 Bristol) Best Community Programme Best Online Radio Station Best Podcast Gold: The Manchester Bombing (Key 103) Silver: Dig Deep (JACK FM) Bronze: National Prison Radio (Prison Radio Association) Bronze: Talking Heads (BBC Radio Berkshire) Gold: Worldwide FM Silver: Live @ Wimbledon Radio (IMG Radio on behalf of the All England Lawn Tennis Club) Bronze: Reform Gold: Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Close Encounters (Rethink Audio / The Guardian) Bronze: The Untold: Missing (BBC Radio Documentaries)Best On-Air PromotionBest Branded Content or PartnershipBest Marketing Campaign Gold: 6 Music Festival in Glasgow (BBC Radio 6 Music) Silver: UEFA Euro 2016 France (talkSPORT Creative) Bronze: The Archers (BBC Radio 4 presentation) Gold: The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show with Wickes (Absolute Radio) Silver: BBC Local Radio and National Poetry Day (BBC English Regions) Bronze: Mardi Gras 2017 with British Airways (Jazz FM) Bronze: School of Rock (Magic Radio) Gold: BBC Radio 1Xtra Street Studio Silver: See Radio Differently Campaign (Radiocentre) Bronze: Superhero Day (Bauer Media)Best Coverage of an EventLocal Station of the YearNational Radio Station of the Year Gold: Manchester's Response to the Arena Attack (Key 103) Silver: Running the Brighton Marathon (BBC Sussex) Bronze: BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend Highly commended: World Cup ‘66 Live (TBI Media / BBC Radio 2) Gold: BBC Radio London Silver: BBC Radio Merseyside Bronze: Metro Radio Gold: BBC 1Xtra Silver: Planet Rock Bronze: BBC Radio 1Team of the YearIndividual of the Year Winner: Local Radio Day (UKRD Group) Winner: Tony Moorey, Group Content Director (Magic and Absolute Radio)
ARIAs 2018 Nominations were revealed on 17 September 2018 by Capital South Wales presenters Matt Lissack and Polly James. New categories introduced this year included Best Local Radio Show, Funniest Show, Best Commercial Promotion and Best Station Sound.
+Presented: 18 October 2018 at the First Direct Arena, Leeds – Hosts: Melvin Odoom and Pandora Christie of Kiss FM Best New Presenter Best New Show / Podcast Best News Coverage Gold: Ronan Keating (Magic) Silver: Mollie King (BBC Radio 1) Bronze: Kat Harbourne & Jenny Eells – The Naked Podcast (BBC Radio Sheffield) Gold: You, Me & the Big C (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: Death in Ice Valley (BBC World Service) Bronze: I Hear Voices (BBC Newsbeat) Gold: Real Life Stories, The Emma Barnett Show (BBC Radio 5 Live) Silver: BBC Radio Leeds Bronze: We Stand Together: The Manchester Arena Attack One Year On (Tower FM) Best Speech Presenter – Breakfast Best Speech Presenter – Non breakfast Best Sports Show / Podcast Gold: Stephen Nolan (BBC Radio Ulster) Silver: Nicky Campbell & Rachel Burden (BBC Radio 5 Live) Bronze: Mishal Husain (BBC Radio 4) Gold: Justin Dealey (BBC Eastern Counties) Silver: Tony Livesey (BBC Radio 5 Live) Bronze: Anna Foster (BBC Radio 5 Live) Gold: Mo-Joe: An 18 Week Marathon Training Diary (7digital) Silver: Fight Disciples Bronze: On The Left Side – The Funny Football Show Best Music Presenter – Breakfast Best Music Presenter – Non breakfast Best Specialist Music Show Gold: The Mylo & Rosie Show (Pulse 1) Silver: Nick Grimshaw: Radio 1 Breakfast Bronze: Dotty: The 1Xtra Breakfast Show Gold: Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2) Silver: Trevor Nelson (Somethin' Else for BBC Radio 2) Bronze: Edith Bowman – Soundtracking (Elbow Productions) Gold: Soundtracking with Edith Bowman (Elbow Productions) Silver: Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) Bronze: Soundscapes with Stephen McCauley (BBC Radio Ulster) Funniest Show Best Factual Storytelling / Documentary Best Fictional Storytelling Gold: Fortunately... with Fi and Jane (BBC Radio 4) Silver: International New Year Comedy Celebration (BBC World Service) Bronze: John Holmes Saturday Show (BBC Radio Kent) Gold: Meeting The Man I Killed (Loftus Media for BBC Radio 4) Silver: Between the Ears: "The NHS Symphony" (BBC Radio Documentaries) Bronze: The Sound of Protest (Absolute Radio) Gold: Carl Cattermole – Double Bubble (Prison Radio Association podcast) Silver: The World's Worst Children 3 by David Walliams (HarperCollins) Bronze: The Final Take: Bowie in the Studio for BBC World Service (Perfectly Normal Productions) Best Community Programme Best Podcast Best Station Sound Gold: The Frank Skinner Show conversation with Al Gore (Absolute Radio) Silver: The Helen & Douglas House Radiothon (JACK FM) Bronze: Mulberry Girls School, Tower Hamlets (BBC Asian Network) Gold: Cariad Lloyd – Griefcast Silver: Health Uncovered – This is Distorted with the NHS Bronze: Double Bubble (PRA Productions) Gold: Radio 1 Vintage (BBC Radio Pop Hub Station Sound) Silver: Absolute Radio Bronze: Belfast is... (Q Radio)Best Commercial PromotionBest Marketing CampaignBest Coverage of an Event Gold: The Greatest Showman (Magic Radio) Silver: Just Eat – The 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia (talkSport) Bronze: Wickes (Absolute Radio) Gold: Common People (BBC Radio Sheffield) Silver: The 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia (talkSport) Bronze: The Dave Berry Breakfast Show (Absolute Radio) Gold: An Accent Exceedingly Rare: A Love Letter to Liverpool (BBC Radio Merseyside) Silver: Manchester – Together With One Voice (XS Manchester) Bronze: Gregathlon: Pedal To The Peaks (BBC Radio 1)Best Local Radio ShowLocal Station of the YearNational Station or Network of the Year Gold: David Burns (BBC Radio Humberside) Silver: Wake Up with Webster (Tay FM)