Meet The Whickers’ and Sheffield DocFest Podcast Pitch Award Finalists 2025
We are thrilled to unveil our six final projects for the 2025 Podcast Pitch Award.
In, what is only our third year of the Podcast Pitch Award, we are delighted to report that we have been overwhelmed by the high number of quality applications from around the world.
The growing interest in narrative factual audio has made this year’s selection process more competitive than ever but we have managed to narrow the entries down to the final six exceptional projects. The six finalist teams will be invited to Sheffield DocFest to pitch their projects live in front of a panel of esteemed judges and live audience on Saturday 21st June at The Crucible Playhouse. The winning pitch will be awarded £15,000, and a second pitch will win a development prize of £5,000.
“Our collaboration with The Whickers for the The Whickers Podcast Pitch is a true highlight of the festival. Podcasts are one of the most dynamic and democratic forms of storytelling today — they offer intimacy, urgency, and a space for voices often unheard. We’re proud to champion this powerful medium and to support creators pushing the boundaries of audio documentary,” said Raul Niño Zimbrano, Creative Director, Sheffield DocFest.
“Despite being our most competitive year yet, in terms of the number of applicants and the quality of their ideas, we are thrilled with this year’s finalists. Each scintillating story is a small rebellion. Each one manages to coax the human spirit into revealing itself using wit, imagination, finely tuned interviewing skills and endless curiosity. Yet, each story is very different. Alan Whicker would have loved them all,” added Jane Ray, Artistic Director, The Whickers.
The 32nd edition of Sheffield DocFest will take place from Wednesday, June 18th, to Monday, June 23th, 2025. Industry Passes and tickets are now available for purchase here.
And now, without further ado, we are thrilled to unveil our six finalists.