NPR announced that their Student Podcast Challenge is back. It is a chance for students to compete with young people all over the country for the grand prize: their story appearing on NPR’s Morning Edition or All Things Considered.

Last school year, we received nearly 6,000 entries from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 25,000 students participating. The contest was a big success – we heard from so many teachers about how much fun they had and how their students got fired up by the project.

This year’s contest will follow the same basic parameters: Beginning in January, teachers or qualified educators can submit student entries in two basic categories: grades 5-8 and grades 9-12. Entries can be as short as 3 minutes and as long as 12 minutes.

NPR says that they are still finalizing and updating the rules for this year and will post them soon. As before, they have guidance on who can enter, how to submit your entry, and updated information about their no-music policy and other key rules. You can find them on the NPR Student Podcast Challenge website.

In Year Two (which NPR is calling SPC2), their goal is to build in more support for teachers and students, based on feedback from teachers and the lessons NPR drew from listening to all those podcasts. NPR will have more training materials and advice on audio reporting, writing, and sound editing production.

NPR has launched the first-ever NPR Student Podcast Challenge. They are inviting students around the country to create a podcast, then – with the help of a teacher – compete for a chance to win the grand prize and have their work appear on NPR.

The contest is a chance for teachers and students in grades five through twelve across the country to turn your classrooms into production studios, your assignments into scripts, and your ideas into sound.

Here’s how it works: A student – with the help of a teacher – produces a podcast that is three to 12 minutes long. NPR says: “Have something to say? Now is your chance.”

Students do not need a lot of fancy equipment or a studio in order to enter the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. NPR states that students should be able to do this with just a smartphone and a computer, with easily available software.

Students also do not have to be an expert in radio production. NPR is offering lots of help for students and teachers. It’s a good idea to read through it before you begin creating a podcast. One important thing to know is that your podcast cannot include music.

NPR will open up the contest to entries on January 1, 2019, and close them on March 31, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Then, NPR’s panel of judges will pick two winners: one from grades five through eight, and one from grades nine through 12.

The winning podcasts will be featured in segments on NPR programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered later in the spring of 2019.

NPR is seeking a Sponsorship Audio Producer for National Public Media (NPM), which is the corporate sponsorship subsidiary of NPR.  National Public Media is hiring a full-time audio producer to own the production of their new custom audio sponsorship format, Brand Soundscapes. These sponsorship messages will be featured in NPR and NPR digital platforms.

The successful candidate will be a creative, collaborative producer and interviewer who can successfully work with corporate sponsors to generate content that creates brand value while respecting NPR’s sponsorship storytelling aesthetic and guidelines. We are looking for someone who can bring fresh ideas to the world of audio sponsorship that will excite brands and engage with the audience. This position is an opportunity to build a new model for public media audio sponsorship.

NPR wants a candidate who has a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. They require candidates to have at least five years in experience in:

• Radio production experience on broadcast digital audio workstations
• Conducting interview and voicing creative
• Working with daily deadlines
• Copywriting experience

There is a long list of other skills and abilities that they would like to see in people who apply for the Sponsorship Audio Producer.

Essential duties include: produces audio creative for NPR sponsors, and manages production process for freelance producers. The ad states that NPR “offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package, including health and wellness benefits, retirement, and work/life balance programs, as well as opportunities for growth and development.”