India’s first motorcycling podcast, the Biker Radio Rodcast, has won the runner up prize of £3,000 at The Wickers Radio & Audio Funding Award, held on 8 September.
The Biker Radio Rodcast follows several biking enthusiasts as they take part in the Raid de Himalaya, considered one of the most grueling motorcycling rallies in the world.
The podcast, produced by Shirshendu ‘Shandy’ Banerjee, has achieved in taking listeners into a “different and surprising world that turns our preconceptions about India on their head,” said Jane Mote, leading television and radio executive and a member of the judging panel.
“46 million bikers in India…who knew? I can’t wait to hear more about the world of this huge and new biking community as they take part in this physically and mentally challenging rally,” said Mote.
Stokely in Cuba aka I’m a Shit Activist, a radio documentary inspired by civil rights activist Stokey Carmichael, won the first prize. The documentary by Isis Thompson walked away with the prize money of £7,000.
Chair of The Whickers’ Awards Committee Valerie Kleeman said Thompson’s selection: “We loved her enthusiasm, her originality and her honesty, and feel that she breaks new ground.”
The Whickers were established in 2015 and it is awarded annually to an emerging audio producer based anywhere in the world to produce an original radio or audio documentary.
Commending this year’s finalists, Jane Ray,Consultant Artistic Director for the Foundation said: “Radio is an incredibly intimate art form and the emotion that these winners have managed to create with sound is indeed worthy of high praise.”
