A new Australian audio awards program, SONARR, will recognise excellence across podcast, radio, audiobook, and voice-over under one roof for the first time, with submissions opening 11 June 2026 and a gala dinner set for 15 October 2026 at Machine Hall in Sydney.
Founded by award-winning executive producer and academic Pariya Taherzadeh, SONARR – short for Sound and Narrative – launches with 35 categories, a $10,000 prize pool split evenly between Commercial and Indie streams, and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) as its founding educational partner.
Filling a gap left by the industry
The launch comes after Australia’s two most prominent audio awards programs went dark in successive years. The Australian Commercial Radio Awards – which ran for decades – ended in 2025, while the last Australian Podcast Awards was held in 2024.
Taherzadeh founded SONARR in direct response, designing a program that spans the full medium rather than siloing individual formats.
“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,” Taherzadeh said.
“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.”
How the awards are structured
SONARR’s 35 categories are organised into six judging blocks: Sound, Narrative, Voice, Impact, Vision, and the Grand Prize.
They cover a wide range of disciplines – from technical sound design and sonic identity to long-form storytelling, multiplatform marketing, and community impact.
The program includes dedicated categories for First Nations creators, creators from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ creators, female creators, students, and independent producers. Submission fees have been designed to be accessible to independent and emerging creators, not only those backed by major networks.
AFTRS has naming rights to the AFTRS Narrative Excellence Award, recognising outstanding original audio storytelling across fiction and non-fiction work.
Key dates
• Submissions open: 11 June 2026
• Submissions close: 31 July 2026
• Nominees announced: Late August 2026
• Winners announced: 15 October 2026, Machine Hall
Further information is available at sonarr.au.