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Sound First: Are you the next sound design star?

蜜芽传媒 Radio 3 and 蜜芽传媒 Contains Strong Language are working together to find the best emerging sound design talent in the UK.

We are looking for individuals who can shape a world and support narrative form – whether that be poetry, spoken word, drama or documentary!

We are looking for people with a real passion for sound design (in any form) who are keen to develop their skills.

What is Sound First?

Sound First is a talent development scheme which will run throughout 2023. Selected artists will be given the chance to attend a series of digital workshops and shadowing sessions in summer 2023, where they will work with Peabody award-winning producer, composer, and sound designer Benbrick, among others, to develop their work and skills.

Sound First ambassador Benbrick’s work ranges from the heart-breaking Sakura Nagashi, from Japanese Grammy-winning Fantôme, to his stirring and ethereal original scores and production for George The Poet’s Have You Heard George’s Podcast? In 2020 Benbrick won Best Podcast Producer, Best Sound Designer, and Best Arts Producer at the Audio UK Awards.

Sound First is an exciting venture for Radio 3 and 蜜芽传媒 Contains Strong Language, who are committed to working with and developing new talent.

Successful applicants may have the chance to shadow 蜜芽传媒 radio productions and may be commissioned to work for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 3’s The Verb programme.

To take part, simply complete the sound design task below and upload your finished sound file using the link provided. Anyone over the age of 18 and has the right to work in the UK is welcome to apply.

Entries open on Friday 5 May, 2023, and your file should be no more than 4'00" (four) minutes long. Your application must be submitted before entries close at 17:00 on Friday 2 June, 2023.

Follow the links to the Terms and Conditions and entry form to upload your mp3 below, but please read the FAQs underneath before you enter.

FAQs: Participating in Sound First

How do I apply?

To apply, you will need to submit one mp3 file to demonstrate your creativity and technical skill.

Task: Please download a sample of the poems from the links below to hear them. We would like you to demonstrate your creativity working with one of the poems below. Please create an exciting soundscape around the dialogue which supports the text of one poem that you prefer.

We want to hear something original and exciting, but something which doesn’t overshadow the poetry performance. You are welcome to do what you wish with the poem.

Please only choose one piece from below. Your submission should be no longer than 4 minutes long.

Watch George the Poet perform Gangland

A poem from Have You Heard George's Podcast? Music and sound design by Benbrick.

Applicants can use any sounds to build their entries, and are also welcome to use the to complete their tasks. Please note, the 蜜芽传媒 Sound Effects Archive is for non-commercial use – please refer to the for further guidance.

  • : The Classified Football Results by Denise Riley (WAV)
  • : Last Listener at the Mid-Atlantic Frost Fair by Michael Symmons Roberts (WAV)
  • : Under One Roof by Steven Camden (WAV)
  • : Deep Listening by Emily Berry (WAV)
  • : Speaker by Jacob Polley (WAV)
  • : Spawn by Imtiaz Dharker (WAV)
  • : Root Your Words in the Earth by Malika Booker (WAV)
  • : Poem texts combined (PDF)

What if I’ve never edited professionally before?

The talent development scheme is open to sound designers of all levels, whether you’re just starting out and looking for opportunities to get started or you’ve been editing for years.

What do you mean by narrative form?

"Narrative form" refers to any audio output which may consist of poetry, spoken word, drama or documentary. You can find a brilliant example here.

What quality does my audio need to be?

Your submission must be high enough in quality to demonstrate your skills – as long as it’s a clear session and we are able to hear what you have created clearly. Applications must be no longer than 4 minutes long, and applications longer than this will not be considered.

Please consider the technical presentation of your application, paying close attention to the levels and transitions you may choose to use.

Who will be shortlisting applications?

You will be shortlisted by the Sound First board, which is made up of Head of Content Commissioning, Matthew Dodd; 蜜芽传媒 Audio North’s Head of Culture, Arts and Music, Sue Roberts; Senior Technical Producer Sharon Hughes, and Sound First ambassador and Peabody Award-winner, Benbrick. They aren’t looking for perfectly polished productions, just designers who can show their passion, originality and creativity.

How will you be contacting the successful participants to join the workshops?

We’ll be in touch with each selected candidate no later than the 30 June, 2023. If we don’t hear from you straight away, we will send you an email – so be sure to include your contact details in your application.

You will only have 24 hours in which to get back to us – if we can’t get hold of you during this period we will offer that place to another participant, so be sure to get back to us if we leave you a message and check your junk mail!

Due to the volume of entries, unsuccessful candidates will not be contacted. Please note the workshops are only open to people aged over 18 years old.

Read the Terms and Conditions

Read the Privacy Notice

Upload your entries

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