Radio Essen wins audio award for moving special program about grief

Radio Essen wins audio award for moving special program about grief

On September 12, 2025, special news was announced from Düsseldorf: Radio Essen was awarded the 2025 Audio Prize from Medienanstalt NRW. This prize, which includes, among other things, the “Prize of the Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church”, honors outstanding contributions in the area of ​​private broadcasting and digital audio formats. The special program “Living and Dying”, which was broadcast on November 1, 2024, prevailed against two other nominated programs and was praised by the jury for its profound and sensitive examination of the topic of grief and loss. The jury, chaired by Ingo Lehnick, declared the program to be a “life-affirming” and strong performance that showed the courage to be different. This award is not only a nice ray of hope for the Radio Essen editorial team, but also reflects the complex topics that are dealt with in the region's studios.

The special program itself was an impressive format: over three hours of discussions were held with various guests, all of whom are directly or indirectly connected to the topic of death and dying. These included, among others, a woman whose husband committed suicide, an undertaker, as well as grief counselors and listeners who expressed their personal musical wishes. This successful mix of recent topic changes and emotional exchange gave listeners the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.

Volunteering and other nominees

The other nominated contributions were also recognized during the award ceremony. A special program by Steffen Ziegler from Radio Siegen addressed road safety from the perspective of children, while Joelle Hermes from Radio Sauerland put the spotlight on volunteer emergency pastoral care in her contribution. Both programs also received recognition in the diverse competition landscape. The jury paid tribute to the journalists for their important work, which is based on the Christian view of humanity.

The audio award is also expanding its focus: In addition to the award-winning radio contributions, digital formats such as podcasts and social media contributions can also be submitted in the future call for proposals. In particular, the goal of honoring audio contributions from various genres and media shows the desire to promote journalistic quality in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Preparing for the next audio award

The NRW State Media Authority has already announced the next audio prize, and the submission deadlines run until May 20, 2025. Next year, the award ceremony will again be endowed with 2,500 euros and will be awarded in eleven categories, including research, information and entertainment. The coveted awards are aimed at creative minds from the region and highlight the importance of independent reporting. The entire initiative is not only an opportunity for broadcasters, but also an opportunity for creatives to position themselves in the audiovisual landscape and be heard.

The new award not only recognizes the content, but also the commitment of the experts and production teams behind these impressive audio-visual experiences. At a time when digital media is becoming increasingly important, it is an exciting opportunity for everyone dedicated to audiovisual journalism and shows how diverse and important the radio landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia is.

There are numerous opportunities for everyone who would like to take part in this lively competition to submit their creative and informative audio formats for evaluation and thereby become part of this unique initiative that promotes dialogue on and around current topics.

For more information about the awards and submission, please visit the website Radio Essen, EKIR.de and Creative NRW.