Podquest

Podquest Seeks the Next Podcast Superstar

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

Podquest is looking for the next podcast superstar. They have announced the winner of their previous contest. Podcasters can now enter this year’s contest. According to Podquest: “If you’ve got an idea, a story, or you’re a brilliant story teller – then Podquest is for you.”

The Season 1 Winner of Podquest’s contest is Phoebe Parsons. She is the host of a brand new podcast called Confessions of a Twenty Something Train Wreck. The description of the podcast is “Phoebe has a fancy degree and her dream job. But her personal life? It’s a train wreck. These are her confessions as she turns her mess into her message.” The trailer has been released and is available on the Podquest website.

Those who want to become the next podcast superstar can enter the Podquest contest now. The deadline for entering is August 4, 2017. The contest is open to all Australian residents from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia. Entrants must be at least 16 years of age or older. People who enter, and are under 18 years of age, must have express permission of a parent/guardian.

A panel of internal and external experts will be looking for:

  • Originality – has anyone else done a similar podcast?
  • Narrative – what are you like at telling a story?
  • Hosting – are you any good at this “podcast thang”?
  • Commercial Viability – let’s face it, in the long run, it would be nice to quit your job and become a full time podcaster
  • Audience – who could the possible audience be?

Podquest says that your entry should demonstrate how the story will live as a series, and not be a sample of your best work. Ideally, it would run for up to 20 minutes.

There is one prize to be won. It consists of AU$5,000 to be transferred to the winner’s Australian bank account (or the winner’s parent or legal guardian’s bank account if the winner is under 18 years old.)

The prize also consists of one final produced podcast (Podcast Series) that includes:

  • Up to 25 hours production time – Up to 5 hours per episode up to a maximum of 5 episodes at the winner’s nearest Nova Entertainment studio
  • Up to 5 hours studio time at the winner’s nearest Nova Entertainment Studio
  • Up to 5 hours content direction with industry experts at the winner’s nearest Nova Entertainment Studio
  • Creative design and production of 1 podcast including 2 rounds of changes

Podquest Contest Seeks the Next Podcast Superstar

~ jen

Podquest is a contest for podcasters (who fit the qualification criteria). “If you’ve got an idea, a story, or you’re a brilliant story teller – then Podquest is for you.” Record your podcast and share your story.

The winning podcaster will receive 5k cash plus studio and production time, and help from industry experts to bring their podcast series to life. Podcasts will be judged by a panel of internal and external industry experts in content, sales, and marketing. There may also be judges who are well renowned podcasters.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

Originality – Has anyone else done a similar podcast?

Narrative – What are you like at telling a story?

Hosting – Are you any good as this podcasting “thang”?

Commercial Viability – Podquest describes this criteria as: “Let’s face it, in the long run, it would be nice to quit your job and become a full time podcaster.”

Audience – Who could the possible audience be?

Each entry should demonstrate how the story will live as a series. They are not looking for a sample of your best work. Ideally, your entry should run for up to 20 minutes. You can upload your podcast file to the Podquest website. They want an MP3 that is at a maximum of 30 MB. The website also has an entry form for podcasters to fill out.

As always, it is worth taking the time to view the view the Terms and Conditions. Nova Entertainment is the promotor of the contest. In March, NOVA launched the Nova Podcast platform, a portfolio of podcasts, including optimized show content, original productions in non-radio podcast categories, and podcast series specifically created for brands.

The contest entry period started on April 7, 2017, and will end on May 19, 2017. Eligible entrants include all Australian residents from NSW, VIC, QLD, SA and WA. Entrants under the age of 18 are required to get express permission from their parent/guardian before entering the contest.

Up to 10 finalists will be selected. Those podcasters will be contacted to let them know they made the finals. Speaking with a promoter does not automatically mean the podcaster has won the contest. One podcast will be selected as the winner.

Radiotopia Revealed Podquest Winner

~ jen

Radiotopia Podquest logoEarlier this year, Radiotopia launched Podquest, which was an open call for new podcast ideas. They wanted to diversify their network and reach new audiences. After sifting through the entries, the semifinalists, and the finalists, Radiotopia has revealed the winner of the Podquest contest.

When Radiotopia launched Podquest, they received submissions from 1,537 people from 54 countries. Topics included “everything under the sun”. Those submissions were narrowed down by Radiotopia executive producer Julie Shapiro, who led a committee of 11 PRX staff and Radiotopia producers. A total of 99 Radiotopia donors reviewed the top 50 entries.

In June, the entries were narrowed down to a total of 10 semifinalists (called the PQ10). From those ten, four finalists were selected.

The winner of Radiotopia’s Podquest is Ear Hustle.  The podcast is a collaboration between Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, who are currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and Nigel Poor, a collaborator and artist living on the outside.

Ear Hustle unveils the hidden stories of life inside the prison, told and produced from the perspective of those who live it. The show includes stories of both the good and the bad.

Radiotopia will pick up the first 10-episode season of Ear Hustle and it will debut later in 2017. Ear Hustle will use the proceeds from their prize to create their show, and to significantly upgrade the equipment at the San Quentin media lab (where the podcast is recorded).

Podquest Reveals Ten Semifinalists

~ jen

Radiotopia Podquest logoEarlier this year, Podquest called for story-driven podcast ideas. They were looking for Radiotopia’s next podcast. Radiotopia is from PRX and is a curated network of extraordinary story-driven shows. Podquest recently revealed their ten semifinalists.

Podquest says that it had 1,537 people respond to their call for story-driven podcast ideas. Ten of those people’s ideas have been selected as semifinalists (which Podquest is calling PQ10). A total of three will be chosen as finalists.

The PQ10 are:

* Dear & Sincerely – by Genevieve Kersten. “Unemployed, depressed, and living in her parent’s basement, Genevieve decides to ask the smartest person she knows for advice, herself.”

* Do Over – by Kelly Jones, Chioke l’Anson and Claire Tacon. “Do Over is the real fake story of how your life could have turned out if you’d just done that one thing differently.”

* Ear Hustle – by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Nigel Poor. “Ear Hustle brings you the hidden stories of life inside prison, told and produced from the perspective of those who live it.”

* Meat – by Jonathan Zenti. “Meat is a podcast about our bodies and the lives we live because of them.”

* Reflected Message – by Jon Tjhia. “Perched at the edges of music and radio storytelling, Reflected Message is like an update of ‘folk’ – pop-sized experiments with voices, memory, repetition, and the everyday.”

* The Difference Between – by Jerico Saria and Hadrian Santos. “The Difference Between dives into the world of “information dopplegängers” – the stuff you always confuse for that other thing – to find out what makes them truly unique”.

* The Stoop – by Lelia Day and Hana Baba. “The Stoop is a space where race, identity, fun, funk, and journalism come together in a tightly produced podcast that will go deep into issues about black identity that aren’t always openly discussed.”

* Third Culture – by Naima Sakande. “Third Culture celebrates those who are from everywhere and belong nowhere, unearthing stories of juggled identities”.

* This Isn’t Working – by Susie Cagle. “This Isn’t Working is a show about “making a living” in the U.S. in an age of corporate domination, industrial transition, and general labor wierdness.”

* Villian-ish – by Vivian Le. “Villian-ish is a show about gaining perspectives on dubious figures that we’ve been taught to revile, and exploring the hidden details we may have never considered.”

Each of the PQ10 semifinalists will receive $300, office hours with Radiotopia producers, free Hindenburg editing software and a year-long membership with the media talent network AIR. The three finalists will be announced July 6-8 at Podcast Movement 2016 in Chicago.

Podquest is Calling for Story-Driven Podcast Ideas

~ jen

Radiotopia Podquest logoDo you have a great idea for a podcast that tells a story? There is a contest going on that you may want to enter. Podquest has an open call-out for story-driven podcasts. They started accepting pitches on March 17, 2016, and will continue to accept them through April 17, 2016.

Podquest is looking for Radiotopia’s next podcast. Radiotopia, from PRX, is a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Radiotopia empowers independent producers to do their best work, grow audiences and increase revenue. At its core, Radiotopia cultivates community – for both listeners and makers alike.

Podquest is looking for diverse talent, new voices, and sustainable ideas that clearly align with Radiotopia’s mission. They seek podcasts that will help take Radiotopia in new directions and that will attract new listeners. They are not looking for shows that have unstructured conversations, live storytelling, or ideas that overlap with shows that are already on Radiotopia.

Ten semi-finalists will win $300 each, offices hours with Radiotopia producers, free Hindenburg editing software, and a year-long membership with the media talent network AIR. Three finalists will be chosen and supported ($10,000 each) in the production of three pilot episodes over the course of four months. At the end of that period, Radiotopia will invite one finalist to join the network in 2017.

The ten semi-finalists will be announced June 1, 2016, at blog.prx.org. The three finalists will be announced July 6-8 at Podcast Movement 2016 in Chicago. The winner will be announced in November at Third Coast Conference in Chicago.

Be sure to check out the post at Radiotopia to find out more details about this contest. You have nothing to lose by entering. Part of the details state that you 100% own your idea, and are welcome to pursue your show on your own, if you are not chosen as as finalist.