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NPR College Podcast Challenge
Online Event
Registration
Details
Contact: Kurt Hauswirth | (906) 227-2606 | khauswir@nmu.edu
SUBMIT HERE
A year ago, when NPR asked students across the U.S., "What does college sound like?" the responses did not disappoint. A postcard to a dorm room and its previous residents, sound design that took us inside the head of a concussed student dealing with online learning. So many stories of identity and family histories, a few investigations, and even a subway symphony.
The contest is open now and closes on Feb. 28, 2022, and this year we've added something special: Our grand-prize winner will receive $5,000, and the other finalists will receive $500 each. Podcasting takes time and effort and we think it should be rewarded.
We've said it before, all it takes is a smartphone, a laptop computer, and a good idea. We want to hear the ideas, the issues, the discussions that are bubbling up on campus. Now that most schools are back in person — tell us what it's like!
Record the stories that will make us laugh or cry, and everything in between, and we'll put the winners and some of the best entries on NPR shows, like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and on podcasts such as Code Switch.
The basics are pretty much the same: Students will create a podcast about a topic they want to explore — and that can be just about anything. In the past, we've had podcasts about Tater Tots, homework and life in the pandemic. We've listened to semester-long investigations about hometown mysteries and dramatic readings of fictional stories. The world is your oyster! There are some rules to keep in mind: All students, regardless of age, who are pursuing an associate's or bachelor's degree can apply. And unlike our contest for younger students, college podcasters — as long as you're 18 years or older — can enter on your own.
The maximum length of your podcast is eight minutes, and the minimum is three minutes. We always get questions about this, but we're holding you to our own standards at NPR, where reporters often have to condense days or weeks of reporting into five or six minutes. We've found, after listening to a lot of podcasts, that shorter is better.
And, as always, we've got a host of training materials, guides for sound recording and audio production, guidance for what you can — and can't — do with music, lists of do's and don'ts, and we even made a podcast about making a good podcast!
The NPR College Podcast Challenge is open now, and will close on Feb. 28, 2022. You can submit here. Please contact WNMU-FM, Public Radio 90 and Kurt Hauswirth for more information and use the links embedded here for quick access to resources and guidelines. Ready, set, record! # # #
For more information go here.