From everyday sounds to extraordinary noises, from the sounds of conflict to those of animals and an environment increasingly under pressure, the Sound of the Year Awards (SOTYA) is an annual celebration of sound in all its forms and complexities.

Now in its sixth year, we looked to celebrate the social, political and environmental sounds from around the world. With submissions from over 50 countries, the entries this year represented some of the most engaging recordings from across our changing environmental and social landscapes. 

Join SOTYA co-producer Ilia Rogatchevski as he guides you through the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds from this year’s awards. Nineteen submissions, along with the artists’ voice notes, have been sequenced to evoke a journey from the southernmost recording location (Madagascar) to the northernmost (Svalbard). 

The order logic adheres to the recording location, not necessarily the nationality or domicile of the recordist which, if different, is recorded after the forward slash. In order of appearance:

Georgie Styles & Laura Misch - A Lemur’s Song (Madagascar/UK)

This submission is a compilation of sections of the soundscape used in the radio documentary A Lemur's Song, a 2 Degrees West Production for BBC Radio 4 'Illuminated'

Rafael Diogo - Batwa Tribe, The Pygmies of the Impenetrable Forest (Uganda/UK)

Obed Fiobetauw - Noise Pollution in Pauy Village (West Papua)

SPECIAL MENTION, In partnership with the EarthSonic Fund

Markus Rumbino - Alikine Ane Pesek (West Papua/Indonesia)

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Erick Villegas - Yachak Cleansing Ritual (Ecuador)

Tom Fisher aka Action Pyramid - Treehopper Songs Inside a Plant Stem (Colombia/UK)

RUNNER UP

Sejal Pawar - Jingrwai Lawbei (The Whistling Names) (India)

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Shaahin Peymani - Threshold (Iran/Germany)

RUNNER UP

Julio César Palacio - IDF Israel Checkpoint Between Bethlehem and Jerusalem

(Palestine-Israel border/Spain) *Explicit

Boyi Bai - New Year in the Prohibition Zone (China/UK)

Hee Ju Im (2bpencil) - Sound of Daenam Broadcast (South Korea)

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Alberto Rangel - EC-ELQ 1991 (Spain)

Sol Archer and Giulia Zabarella - Tawny Pipit (Italy/Netherlands)

Read about the Tawny Pipit project here

Felice Sciorilli - Tiny Worlds (Italy)

Victoriia Kralko - 20 Places Left at the Field of Honor (Ukraine/Czechia)

MUELLER-DIVJAK (Jeanette Mueller & Paul Divjak) - The Sound of Data (Austria)

The Sound of Datais part of Mueller-Divjak’s arts-based research project Sensing Living Systems (2023-2027). Funded by the Austrian Science Fund

SPECIAL MENTION

Irene Trejo aka Merma Suelo - Winters in Ruhleben (Germany)

Stijn Demeulenaere - C-Power Windfarm, March 2026 (Belgium)

Read more about the Sounding Lines project here.

Mathias Arrignon - Songs of the Bearded Seals (Svalbard/UK)

SOTYA 25-26 WINNER | Website

This edition of the awards were judged by Rana Eid, Will René, Anton Spice, Karen Sutton, Neil Spencer Bruce and Matthew Herbert. Reflecting on her experience of judging the awards, Rana Eid said: “What was particularly interesting this year was how many artists seemed preoccupied with capturing the sounds of the unseen and the unknown. Perhaps this was a way of confronting — and even embracing — the dark times the world is going through.”

Produced and presented by Ilia Rogatchevski. The lead producer for the Sound of the Year Awards is Isabella Pierce. Both projects are brought to you by the Radiophonic Institute, the creative director of which is Matthew Herbert. 

A special thanks to our sponsor this year, Teenage Engineering who provided us with this year’s prize CM-15 microphone. 

For more sounds from this and previous year go to soundoftheyearawards.com or follow us @sound_awards. 

Thank you to everyone who submitted their sounds. We’ll see you again next year! 

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In October 2024, the Radiophonic Institute partnered with Margate Radio to deliver a live broadcast that brought the sounds of Margate into focus. Eight locations were chosen for their sonic footprint and importance to the town. They were all captured at the same time – at 1pm on a Friday afternoon. The recordings were played back simultaneously the following week with the public invited to mix their own soundscape. This was followed by an improvised performance by Moon Zero and Melinda Bronstein who remixed the original recordings. This podcast features excerpts from both versions of the piece, which will be preceded by an interview with Margate Radio’s Paul Camo and Tim Garratt. 

Location sounds by Chris Cholmondeley, Jack Goldstein, Clementine Blue, Melinda Bronstein, Chase Coley, Tim Garratt, Paul Camo and Buddy Peace. Location images by Ilia Rogatchevski.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute. 

Listen to Margate Radio: https://margateradio.co.uk

Listen to the Travel Agency version: https://li.sten.to/rtamargateatone 

Tracklist:

Interview with Paul Camo and Tim Garratt

Margate At 1 (excerpt)

Margate At 1.5 - Moon Zero ft Melinda Bronstein (excerpt)

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Taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Highland Clearances saw people from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland forced from their homes, with whole communities having to seek opportunities elsewhere. These events were sometimes violent and led to famine, displacement and mass emigration.  

The Scottish writer and campaigner Kenneth Murray, along with the dramaturg Kirsty Housley, produced a script for a Radiophonic Travel Agency episode that explored this period in history through the prism of a fictional sound journey. The award-winning composer Ella Kay produced the sound design based on their script.

Travelling through time, we hear Scotland from the 1700s to the present day from the perspectives of different characters. With sounds ranging from blacksmiths and farm animals to waulking songs and Gaelic psalms, this episode allows anyone from across the world to visit Scotland before and after the Highland Clearances. 

The journey is preceded by interviews with Murray and Kay, where we discuss their respective creative practices and approaches to this unusual time-travelling brief.

Dramaturg - Kirsty Housley

Writer - Kenneth Murray

Sound Design - Ella Kay

The recording “Wool Waulking Display at the inaugural Outlander Day at Highland Folk Museum” (Newtonmore, 2015) appears courtesy of Steve McLeish and Outlandish Journeys. “Gaelic psalms at Back Free Church” (Isle Of Lewis, 2003) was produced by 

Calum Martin and appears courtesy of Leum Music. Samples of dialogue are derived from “The Western Isles” (1941, dir. Terence Egan Bishop) and appear courtesy of the British Council film archive under a CC BY-NC 3.0 licence. Images courtesy of The MacKinnon Collection at the National Library of Scotland and David Brooks at Unsplash.                                                                               

Co-produced by Ilia Rogatchevski and Louis Gillespie for the Radiophonic Institute.

Tracklist:

Calum Martin - Gaelic psalms at Back Free Church, Isle Of Lewis

Interview with Kenneth Murray

Steve McLeish - Wool Waulking Display at the inaugural Outlander Day at Highland Folk Museum

Interview with Ella Kay

Fictional Sound Journey, Scotland Before & After The Highland Clearances

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Join us as we explore sounds that encapsulate 2023 with the Sound Of The Year Awards.

We speak with the judges Jez Riley French, Kate Carr, Rana Eid and Will René about “nature” and sound preservation, the ethics of field recording, sound as a political act, and the poetry of imagined sounds. The interviews are followed by a sound collage composed from this years’ entries, featuring recordings submitted from across the world. If you’d like to revisit any of the sounds, head over to soundoftheyearawards.com where you can listen to them in their entirety, read about their wider context and check out submissions from previous editions of the awards.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute.

Track list:

Archipelagos - Charles Van Kirk

Todmorden Market - Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School, Hepworth Class (Y5)

Croydon, South London - Ark Oval - Year 2 

Community Sounds - Alkis Karagiannis-Avar and Melia Karagianni-Avar

The Disorderly Harmony Orchestra - Yoichi Kamimura

Landschaftspark Rheinbogen (City Park) - The Musikschule Monheim am Rhein

The 1st grade class (1°U) of the Primary School "Livio Tempesta" in Quattro Castella (RE), Italy

Left Ear / Right Ear - Lola de la Mata

Primary School of Volakas - Year 3 and Year 5

R9A Arrowhead - Jake Mehew

The Grain of the Voice - Jake Parry

Eastanbul - Alp Tuğan

Harmonics’ Lettrism - Cateri Muro (read by Laura Michelle Smith)

Amazon river dolphins hunting - Jana Irmert

Voice of the Morteratsch Glacier - Ludwig Berger

Weddellscape - Finbarr Dillon

Surreal Ice Sounds at Medicine Lake - Kelly Rafuse

Tree Hyrax in Mt Kenya - Martha Mutiso

Port Jackson Shark Egg - Vicki Hallett

Co-existing with sound via hearing aids - Geo Aghinea

Left Ear / Right Ear - Lola de la Mata

Subsonic blast waves from military training activities - John Grzinich

Listening Desk - Emily Peasgood

The sound of biodiversity disappearing from London's freshwater ponds - Emily Peasgood

Aural Prespa - Alexandros Hadjitimotheou

The Disorderly Harmony Orchestra - Yoichi Kamimura

Eagle's Cry Amidst Danger - Jakub Orzęcki

Free Palestine Protest - Cosmin Sandu

A wild Feast in Maasai Mara Game Reserve - Martha Mutiso

A sound to stop all wars - Claire Dunn (read by Laura Michelle Smith)

Message to Homeland - danil repin

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In this episode, we visit Cornholme Junior School in Todmorden, West Yorkshire to speak with Mark Williamson aka Spaceship Mark about his work with the Primitive Percussion Youth Orchestra. The project takes the form of an after school club and workshops. The children who take part create experimental soundscapes, improvised compositions and film soundtracks. In 2022, the PPYO submitted an entry to the children’s category for the Sound of the Year Awards: a reimagining of a Yorkshire Clough – complete with the sounds of a running brook, rustling leaves, and birdsong – all recreated in the classroom. The conversation with Mark and the children will be followed by a special performance by the PPYO recorded on location in Todmorden.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute.

Track list:

Triangles In The Snow - Primitive Percussion Youth Orchestra

PPYO Soundcheck (Tabletop Guitar) - Mark Williamson

PPYO Soundcheck (Spaceship Synth) - Mark Williamson

Rehearsal Session, 7 May 2024 - Primitive Percussion Youth Orchestra

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The London-based duo Sue and Matt Harding discuss their work with Foley, sonic textures and expanded cinema.

Sue Harding is a Foley artist with over 20 years experience in film, TV and animation who has worked on big Hollywood productions as well as countless other projects. Matt Harding is a songwriter, media artist and curator whose work examines the intersection of texture, performance and moving image – often focusing on repetition as the defining motif. In this podcast, the duo discuss extending their individual practices into a shared performance space, incorporating Foley techniques in their work and the challenges of scoring sound for film.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute.

Track list:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Klingt Gut, Hamburg, 2017 - Sue Harding, Matt Harding

Untitled Performance - Din, 195 Mare Street, 2023 - Sue Harding, Matt Harding and Angharad Davies

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The Nuyorican artist and researcher Maria Sappho specialises in multispecies collaborative projects that are at the intersection of human, machine and organic communication. Currently based in Huddersfield, Sappho is a pioneer of “trans-species listening” – a practice that incorporates instrument building and musical composition developed in collaboration with artificial intelligence and fungal ecosystems. Sappho is a recipient of the Oram Award and her work with AI and mushrooms has garnered international acclaim. In this podcast, she discusses the intricacies of improvising with mushrooms, creating new forms of collaborative space with the AI Chimere and exploring the subversive, underground and political elements that underpin her practice.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute.

Track list:

Hans - Brutalust (Colin Frank & Maria Sappho) 

Performance at the UNESCO Week of Sound, Edinburgh College of Art, 20 October 2023 - Maria Sappho, The Ostoyae and Una MacGlone

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Celebrate the sonic achievements of 2022 with the Sound Of The Year Awards.

Mathew Herbert – composer and director of the Radiophonic Institute – speaks with the audio producer and SOTYA judge Alannah Chance, Drew Daniel and M. C. (Martin) Schmidt of Matmos, and co-host Naomi Paxton about the power of sound. They discuss its ability to represent political events, disappearing organisms, nature and society as a whole. Their discussion is followed by a multitude of amazing submissions from 2022, featuring sounds from Indonesia, Ukraine, South Africa, Canada and Taiwan ranging from cicadas and political protests to drift ice and poetry performed by Axel Kacoutié.

Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski for the Radiophonic Institute.

Track list:

SOTYA Performance - Axel Kacoutié

Black Lives Matter Demonstration In Vancouver - Anonymous

NYC Police Communication During Black Lives Matter Demonstrations - Anonymous

I imagined a Sound. - CLIP Sound and Music (read by Axel Kacoutié)

A Yorkshire Clough - Primitive Percussion Youth Orchestra

Moodsonic Soundscaping - Fran Board

The Sniffing Rock - Manja Ristić

Mimpa Owa (A Duet with Javanese Gibbons) - Gardika Gigih Pradipta

Curlew Bubbling Song - Merlyn Driver

Calf Trying to Breathe After Dehorning - Mélia Roger

Bombina Bombina Mysterious Call - Jakub Orzęcki

Conversations at the Edge of the World - Emma Kate Matthews

Control - Tansy Xiao

In the Middle of Giants - Pablo Cerqueira

Mutations XX/XX/XX - Cândida Borges

Guide Me Across The Street - Leonard Maassen

Community - Hamed Mafakheri

'Capra' - The Goat Dance - Cosmin Sandu

King & Bells - Sheffield 8th September 2022 - Duncan Chapman

​​Remuage - Cà Del Bosco - Giuseppe Cordaro and Riccardo Caspani

Wonderwash - Berk Offset

broken metronome concrète - Owen Duff

Photon Smasher - CLIP

Photosynthetic Beats (Utricularia) - Ludwig Berger

Music for PlayStation - Jesse Austin-Stewart

gestures of thaw (Sólheimajökull, Iceland - July 2022) - Pablo Diserens

Ryuhyo - Yoichi Kamimura

Solitary Seal Pup Screeching - Horsey Beach - Joe Harvey- Whyte

Wind Turbine Like Fingernails on a Chalkboard - Rick Hannon

Sédiment Narratif - Audiotopie / La Quadrature

Vaillant aroTHERM plus - Vaillant

Changing Shifts - Chris Hails

Crépuscule automnal à l'étang du Ravoir (Autumn Nightfall at Ravoir's Pond) - Jocelyn Robert

War Over Nature - Jet Fighters Training Over Wildlife Conservation Sanctuary - Samuel Monceau

Silence of Sirens - Kyiv - Philipp Markovich

One Minute in Bakhmut - Ihor Babaiev

February 26 12.07 AM Chernihiv - Anton Stuk

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