Tinniswood Award 2026 open for entries

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Tinniswood Award for audio drama scripts broadcast or made available online between 1 October 2024 and 31 October 2025.

Established by WGGB and Society of Authors in memory of the writer Peter Tinniswood, the award celebrates the very best in audio drama writing.

The £3,000 cash prize, sponsored by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, will be presented at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in early 2026.

Guidelines and application procedure

Entry criteria

• Deadline for entries: midnight on 5 October 2025
• An original audio script of any length, as broadcast
• A standalone drama or the opening episode(s) from an original series or serial*
• Featuring characters and situations that are original to the writer
• Recorded as a UK production
• Broadcast or made available online between 1 October 2024 to 31 October 2025
• Adaptations of works commissioned for any other medium – including stage, television, film, prose fiction or poetry – are not eligible.

* Series submissions should include multiple concurrent episodes up to 45 minutes running time, or the complete series if the overall running time is under 45 minutes. The judges reserve the right to call in the subsequent episodes if required.

Submissions

Submissions will be accepted from any party (producer, broadcasting organisation, writer, agent, etc.) and must consist of all the following items:

• the completed form
• a copy of the final studio script
• a synopsis and author biography (each no more than 150 words)

Contact

For further information contact tjones@societyofauthors.org

Find out more about the Tinniswood Award and view past winners here.

Photo depicts Edson Burton, who received the Tinniswood Award 2025 for Man Friday