Applications are now open for the 2025 Imison Award, for audio drama scripts by a writer new to the medium which were broadcast or made available online between 1 October 2023 and 31 October 2024.
The Imison Award is presented annually to the best audio drama script by a writer new to the medium and which, in the opinion of the judges, is the best of those submitted. The award perpetuates the memory of Richard Imison, acknowledging the encouragement and friendship he gave to writers in general, and to radio dramatists in particular.
The award is administered and judged by the Society of Authors and we are grateful to the Peggy Ramsay Foundation and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) for their generous sponsorship of this award, including the £3,000 prize.
The deadline for entries is midnight on 4 October 2024.
Guidelines and application procedure
Entry criteria
The Imison Award is designed to celebrate the best new writing in audio drama. It is open to original audio drama first broadcast on radio or made available online for streaming or download.
- Deadline for entries: midnight on 4 October 2024.
- An original audio drama script, by a writer or writers new to audio drama, commissioned and recorded in the UK by a UK-based producer
- Writing pairs must both be new to audio drama, and the work must be the first audio drama by the writer(s) to have been released
- A standalone drama or the opening episode(s) from an original series or serial*
- Total running time should be between 10 minutes and 90 minutes
- Broadcast or made available online between 1 October 2023 – 31 October 2024
- Suitable online distribution platforms include Audible, iTunes, BBC Sounds, Spotify and others – please get in touch if you are unsure whether your production’s platform will be eligible
- Adaptations of works commissioned for any other medium – including stage, television, film, prose fiction or poetry – are not eligible.
* Series submissions should include multiple concurrent episodes up to 45 minutes running time, or the complete series if the overall running time is under 45 minutes. The judges reserve the right to call in the subsequent episodes if required.
Any questions? Please ensure that you read the above criteria carefully and contact Sophia A Jackson (sjackson@societyofauthors.org) if you have any queries.
Judging
The Imison Award will be judged by the Scriptwriters Group Committee of the Society of Authors. Their decision is final.
Presentation
The Imison Award will be presented at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in January 2025 (TBC).
Submissions
Submissions will be accepted from any party (producer, broadcasting organisation, writer, agent, etc.) and must consist of the following items:
- the completed form below
- a copy of the final studio script
- a synopsis and author biography (each no more than 150 words).
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact Sophia Jackson.
- Email: sjackson@societyofauthors.org
- Phone: 020 3880 2230