Meet our Whickers Podcast Pitch Finalists 2026

We’re delighted to present our five projects, and six finalists, for the Whickers Podcast Award 2026.

The Whickers, in partnership with Sheffield DocFest, are pleased to unveil the shortlist for the 2026 Podcast Pitch Award. Now in its fourth year, the initiative has seen a record number of submissions, up 25% on last year, from 59 countries worldwide.

Selected by our expert panel of pre-selectors these finalists will pitch their projects both to the jury and a live audience at The Whickers Podcast Pitch on Saturday 13th June as part of Sheffield DocFest 2026. The winning project will receive an incredible £15,000 towards production, with a runner-up awarded a £5,000 development grant.

The exceptional quality of this year’s projects made narrowing the shortlist from 15 to the final five an extremely challenging task.

The 33rd edition of Sheffield DocFest will take place from Wednesday 10th June to Monday 15th June 2026. Industry passes and tickets are now available to purchase here.