CBC/Radio-Canada Named Broadcaster of the Year at 2025 New York Festivals Storytellers Gala
Grand Awards Honor Groundbreaking Work from Bafflegab Productions, Bucket of Eels, and Smoke Trail Productions
New York, May 22, 2025 — The 2025 New York Festivals Storytellers Gala has unveiled this year’s Radio Awards winners, recognizing audio storytelling that pushed creative boundaries across news, drama, podcasting, and investigative journalism. With entries spanning 26 countries, this year’s winners reflect a global surge in innovative, genre-defying audio content.
CBC/Radio-Canada: Broadcaster of the Year
CBC/Radio-Canada earned the prestigious Broadcaster of the Year title, honoring the national public broadcaster’s dual-language excellence in radio and podcasting. Signature programs like The Current, hosted by Matt Galloway, and IDEAS led the way with Gold awards, the latter recognized for its powerful exploration of child sexual abuse prevention.
Other standout CBC/Radio-Canada projects included:
- Silver Awards: Front Burner, Reclaimed – Indigenous Kids, Lucien supersensible, La version qui n’intéresse personne, and more.
- Bronze Winners: Atlantic Voice – Coming Full Circle, Oliver Jones et les lumières de la Petite-Bourgogne.
- 13 Finalist Awards, showcasing their consistent quality across a broad spectrum of audio formats.
“This recognition underscores the power of public broadcasting to tell stories that matter,” said Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada. “In both English and French, our teams across Canada deliver journalism and storytelling that deepen understanding on today’s most urgent topics.”
2025 Grand Awards: Powerful Stories That Resonate Globally
Three productions were awarded the coveted Grand Award this year, each exemplifying storytelling that cuts deep:
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” – Bafflegab Productions (Drama Special): A haunting audio adaptation of the iconic sci-fi novel, brought to life by the creator of The Queen’s Gambit.
“Tested” – Bucket of Eels (Sports Podcast): This hard-hitting series dives into the complex history of sex testing in elite athletics, spotlighting the personal toll of modern-day gender regulations.
“Buried: The Last Witness” – Smoke Trail Productions Limited (Documentary): A chilling investigation into the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the UK, exposing environmental crimes and corporate coverups.
Celebrating Industry Pioneers and Podcasting’s Bold Evolution
Legendary sports journalist Lesley Visser was honored with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the latest trailblazer to be recognized for transformative contributions to the field.
In investigative journalism, Master Plan by The Lever received the 2025 National Press Club Award, earning top scores across news and nonfiction categories.
Podcasts showed formidable range and originality this year. Notable Gold-winning entries included:
- The Menendez Brothers: The Official Companion Podcast
- Elon, Inc. and Beak Capitalism (Odd Lots, Bloomberg)
- F1 Explains (Formula 1)
- Search Among The Sunflowers (Media Heads)
- Supermajority (NPR’s Embedded)
- Cement City, Gordafarid (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), and many more.
Documentaries and Audiobooks: Immersive and Insightful
Gold-winning documentaries covered urgent issues—from chemical contamination to historic civil rights movements. Highlights include:
- Shane MacGowan: The Old Main Drag (Rich Power)
- The Sounds of America (Accompany Studios)
- Alvin Hall’s Other America (Michael Umney)
- Expanse: Spies in the Outback (ABC Sydney)
Meanwhile, audiobooks continued to transport listeners through richly told narratives, such as:
- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (BBC Audio Scotland & Northern Ireland)
- The Haunted House on Hollow Hill (HarperCollins)
- Nikki Giovanni (CBC Radio and Audio)
Global Recognition for Excellence in Audio
Judged by a Grand Jury of over 200 international experts, each entry was evaluated on creativity, production quality, storytelling, and relevance. The Storytellers Gala was presented virtually on May 22, featuring global highlights and acceptance speeches from some of the world’s most respected creators in audio.
Since 1957, the New York Festivals Radio Awards has honored the best in broadcast audio and continues to evolve with the storytelling landscape. The 2025 awards solidify audio’s power to captivate, challenge, and change the world.
Explore all winners in the 2025 Winners’ Showcase and watch the Storytellers Gala.
