The nominations have been announced.

The National Hospital Radio Awards is an annual celebration of the excellent standards found in hospital radio stations across the country.
The awards are open to any HBA member station and are divided into different categories, each one recognising a specific area of excellence; some to individuals and others to stations.

Our Patron, Alan Dedicoat, has joined us again this year to announce the shortlists which you can listen to below:

Best Station Promotion

Designed to allow demonstration of delivering an engaging, clear and concise message within a specific time, this entry must be produced and presented by the station. The entry can consist of a promotion or trailer and should convey the message and attract the ear of the listener.

  • Coventry Hospital Radio – Choose a Request
  • Hospital Radio Basingstoke – Music on Demand
  • Hospital Radio Medway – New Website
  • Hospital Radio Plymouth – Requestline
  • Radio BGM – Your NHS
  • Radio Brockley – On The Mend
  • Radio Clatterbridge – Tatty Bye to Sir Ken Dodd
  • Radio Glamorgan – We Are Radio Glamorgan
  • Radio Harrow – The Basement Tapes
  • Radio Tyneside – The New Radio Tyneside.

Best Specialist Music Programme

Designed to demonstrate the presenter’s expert knowledge of the music in question. Evidence of energy and passion for the genre should be evident to the listener. The entry may also include any content applicable to the programme. For example, an event guide / what’s on feature relating to the show. Entries may include any genre such as jazz, classical, country etc.

  • BHBN – Music from Stage and Screen
  • CHBN – The Acoustic Hour
  • Durham Hospitals Radio – The Sunday Showtunes Showdown
  • Grampian Hospital Radio – The Touch of Tartan Programme
  • Hospital Radio Bedside – The Classical Collection
  • Inverness Hospital Radio – The Sunday Ceilidh
  • Radio Frimley Park – From Then to Now
  • Radio Grapevine – Fresh Sounds
  • Radio Tyneside – Those Fabulous Fifties
  • Whipps Cross Hospital Radio – Beyond Britain

Best Speech Package

This award is designed to showcase the power of speech through the medium of radio. Entries should be submitted from a single programme or interview. The material must be original, produced and presented by the submitting station.

  • BHBN – Generation Gains
  • Durham Hospitals Radio – Bearing It All
  • Hospital Radio Plymouth – The Tony Rea Interview
  • Hospital Radio Chelmsford –  The Knife and Axe Throwing Cardiologist
  • Radio Brockley- UCL Open Day
  • Radio Harrow –  Discussing Anxiety
  • Radio Redhill – London Harness Horse Parade
  • Radio Tyneside – Organ Donation Week
  • Rookwood Sound –  A hundred years of Rookwood Hospital
  • Winchester Radio – Hampshire Hospitals NHS Voices

Best Special Event

This award is for a ‘one-off’ programme broadcast by the station. The entry should be a compilation of the programme’s output demonstrating production and presentational quality as well as listener engagement.

  • Radio Glamorgan – NHS 70
  • Durham Hospitals Radio – Dog Cafe Birthday
  • Radio BGM – NHS 70
  • Radio Brockley – Alpha Sessions, 10th Anniversary
  • Radio Clatterbridge – Doddy Day – A Celebration of Sir Ken Dodd
  • Radio Harrow – Local Radio Day
  • Radio Wishing Well – The Birthplace of the NHS
  • Radio Cavell – NHS 70
  • Rookwood Sound – A hundred years of Rookwood Hospital
  • The Hospital Broadcasting Service – 48 Hour Broadcast for NHS70

Best Newcomer

Designed to celebrate and recognise new talent across the hospital broadcasting community, this award is open to anyone who joined a hospital radio station for the first time during the two years prior to the closing date.

  • Claire Goldsworthy – CHBN
  • Zara Shoesmith – CHBN
  • Tommy Overton – Harrogate Hospital Radio
  • April Haywood – Hospital Radio Basingstoke
  • Liam Mandy – Hospital Radio Lynn
  • Kate Beatty – Radio Brockley
  • Debra Davies – Radio Grapevine
  • David Stone – Radio Harrow
  • Noah Abrahams – Radio Harrow
  • Chris Nott – Radio Redhill

Best Programme with Multiple Presenters

Recognising that many hospital radio stations have programmes presented by a group of people, this award celebrates the ingredients that make hospital radio unique, such as patient and staff interaction, requests and personality.

  • Coventry Hospital Radio – Colin and Annette’s Music Set
  • Harrogate Hospital Radio – Ellie and Cathie’s Pick and Mix
  • Hospital Radio Bedside – iKidz
  • Hospital Radio Medway – The Film Show
  • Hospital Radio Plymouth – Requestline
  • Radio Harrow – Harrow Today
  • Radio Glamorgan – The Teenage Cancer Trust Takeover
  • Rookwood Sound – The Flagship Show
  • Rookwood Sound- Paul and Sybil
  • The Hospital Broadcasting Service- Long Lunch

Best Male Presenter

Designed to accurately demonstrate the diversity of presentation skills and awareness of, and engagement with, the audience. Entries should showcase a variety of subject and style. Passion, energy and personality should be evident to the listener.

  • Mark Webster – CHBN
  • Andrew Colby – Coventry Hospital Radio
  • Dan Sambell – Coventry Hospital Radio
  • Julian Singh – Hospital Radio Bedside
  • Andrew Hill – Hospital Radio Plymouth
  • Rajiv Hasan – Nottingham Hospitals Radio
  • Byron Brain – Radio Glamorgan
  • Ross Coutts – Radio Grapevine
  • George Reed – Radio Hillingdon
  • Tony Sloan – Radio Tyneside

Best Female Presenter

Designed to accurately demonstrate the diversity of presentation skills and awareness of, and engagement with, the audience. Entries should showcase a variety of subject and style. Passion, energy and personality should be evident to the listener.

  • Philippa Clarkin – BHBN
  • Donna Joseph – BHBN
  • Dawn Finnigan – Durham Hospitals Radio
  • Eileen Thompson – Durham Hospitals Radio
  • Christine Rowley – Hospital Radio Basingstoke
  • Carrie Ingram-Gettins – Hospital Radio Lynn
  • Julie Caston – Nottingham Hospitals Radio
  • Sarika Unadkat – Radio Harrow
  • Tamsin Robson – Radio Tyneside
  • Lesley Jennings – Rookwood Sound.

Station of the Year

This Award showcases the best of hospital radio. From the interaction with station listeners to the delivery of an engaging station output. Submission is limited to a maximum 15-minute stand-alone documentary-style recording, featuring extracts from your station output. The entry should give the judges an insight into your station, station volunteers, hospital(s) broadcast to, and the style of presentation and programme content.

  • BHBN
  • Durham Hospitals Radio
  • Hospital Radio Basingstoke
  • Hospital Radio Chelmsford
  • Hospital Radio Plymouth
  • Radio Brockley
  • Radio Glamorgan
  • Radio Harrow
  • Radio Redhill
  • Radio Tyneside

Categories Without Shortlists

There are some categories where the HBA awards a single prize and where a shortlist is not released. These categories are:

The John Witney Award

The award celebrates an outstanding contribution, by an individual, to Hospital Radio over a period of years and is open to anyone working in hospital radio. The nomination should explain why the candidate has made a real and long-lasting impact. The candidate may be drawn from the broadcasting arena but may equally be found from a technical or administrative background. They may have worked for single or multiple stations over the years.

Recognising Innovation across Hospital Radio

Designed to recognise those behind the scenes, this award celebrates pushing the boundaries, using innovative, novel or pioneering ideas. This award is open to all across the various roles hospital broadcasting organisations may have. Technical to administrative, fundraising to Trust or Board engagement – this award celebrates achieving a goal using new and inspiring techniques.

Judging

The shortlists for the HBA’s showpiece event were announced by HBA Patron Alan Dedicoat just after midnight on New Year’s Day.