The 7 Most Shocking Revelations From The Third Coast International Audio Festival's 2024-2025 Cycle

As of late 2024, the landscape of narrative audio storytelling is undergoing a profound transformation, and at the center of this evolution is the Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF). Often simply called "Third Coast," this Chicago-based organization has been the global benchmark for audio documentary and radio storytelling since its founding in 2000. It is not merely an awards ceremony; it is a vital support system and curator for the world's most compelling sound-rich narratives, from intimate personal journals to high-stakes investigative journalism.

This year, the festival has entered a groundbreaking new phase, transitioning into its first fully independent Competition Cycle for 2024-2025, a move that signals a renewed commitment to its community-first mission. With hundreds of entries already screened, the current cycle is setting the stage for the next generation of audio masterpieces, cementing Third Coast’s role as the premier authority in celebrating and catalyzing artistic innovation in the audio world.

The Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF) at a Glance

The Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF) has established itself as the global epicenter for the art of the audio documentary. Its mission goes beyond simple recognition, aiming to inspire artistic innovation and foster a supportive maker community worldwide.

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• Founding Year: 2000.
• Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois.
• Core Mission: To inspire artistic innovation in audio documentary and storytelling, support the maker community, and use audio storytelling to engage communities.
• Flagship Program: The annual Third Coast Competition (formerly the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition).
• Key Programming: Curating audio stories from around the world, showcasing them through various platforms, and hosting the long-running radio show and podcast, Re:sound.
• Focus: Fiercely valuing equity, community, and experimentation in audio, with year-round, virtual-first programming.

For over two decades, TCIAF has been the gold standard, elevating the craft of sound design and narrative structure in non-fiction audio. Its extensive audio library serves as an invaluable resource for producers, students, and enthusiasts looking to study the finest examples of the medium.

The 2024-2025 Competition Cycle: What's New and Noteworthy

The 2024-2025 Third Coast Competition marks a significant milestone, operating as the organization's first independent competition cycle. This shift underscores a renewed, community-driven vision for the future of the festival, which continues its tradition of honoring the best audio stories globally while actively catalyzing future production.

The call for entries this year saw a tremendous response, with a glorious 463 works submitted and currently being screened by the dedicated Third Coast Listening Team. The sheer volume and diversity of these submissions highlight the festival’s enduring relevance and international reach.

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7 Core Categories Defining the Future of Audio

The competition structure is meticulously designed to recognize excellence across the diverse spectrum of audio storytelling. The categories for the 2024-2025 cycle are a roadmap for where the industry is heading, emphasizing both classic documentary form and innovative new approaches.

1. Best Documentary (Gold, Silver, Bronze): The classic and most prestigious award, recognizing the most compelling and creatively produced long-form audio documentaries. This is the ultimate prize in narrative audio.
2. Best Documentary: Non-English Language: A critical category that ensures global voices and stories are recognized, promoting linguistic diversity and international storytelling.
3. Best Documentary: Short: Celebrating the mastery of conciseness, this award honors powerful storytelling achieved in a limited runtime.
4. Best Serialized Story: Acknowledging the dominance of the podcast format, this award recognizes excellence in multi-part, episodic narratives, rewarding long-form commitment and structure.
5. Best News Feature: Focusing on journalistic excellence, this category highlights timely, impactful, and well-reported audio that provides crucial context to current events.
6. New Artist Award: A vital component of the festival’s mission to support the maker community, this award identifies and celebrates emerging talent in the audio space, providing a crucial launchpad for careers.
7. Impact Award: This category is reserved for stories that demonstrate a tangible, real-world effect, whether changing policy, shifting public opinion, or sparking significant community dialogue.

Beyond the Awards: TCIAF's Pillars of Global Audio Storytelling

While the competition garners the most headlines, the Third Coast International Audio Festival’s influence is felt year-round through its commitment to programming, community building, and its iconic curated content.

The Enduring Legacy of Re:sound

One of TCIAF's most beloved and long-running programs is the weekly radio show and podcast, Re:sound. Hosted by Gwen Macsai, Re:sound serves as a masterclass in audio curation, remixing audio gems and compelling features from around the world. It provides listeners with a peek behind the curtain of the creative process, showcasing exceptional audio documentaries and features that might otherwise go unheard by a mass audience.

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The show is essential listening for aspiring producers and seasoned professionals, offering curated audio treats that exemplify the best of the medium. The continued syndication and availability of Re:sound ensure that the festival's spirit of discovery remains active every week of the year.

Fostering Equity and Community

In a world of rapidly evolving media, Third Coast remains dedicated to providing safe, equitable, accessible, and inclusive spaces for audio makers. The organization’s Code of Conduct and its year-round, virtual-first programming reflect a modern approach that fiercely values community and experimentation.

This commitment is evident in its support for programs like ShortDocs, a past competition that challenged producers to create short audio pieces in response to a specific prompt, fostering creativity and quick turnaround skills. By creating opportunities for new stories to be produced and supporting producers directly, TCIAF acts as a crucial engine for the entire non-fiction audio ecosystem.

The Directors' Choice and Unsung Heroes

While the main categories are judged by high-profile final-round judges, the festival also honors the unsung heroes of the craft. The Directors' Choice Award, selected by the TCIAF Listening Team, often highlights a work that may have been overlooked but exemplifies the festival’s core values of innovation, craft, and emotional depth.

The festival's impact is not just on the winners, but on the thousands of listeners and producers who are inspired by the elevated standard of storytelling it promotes. From the intricacies of sound design to the power of a single, well-told personal journal, the Third Coast International Audio Festival continues to shape what we hear, how we listen, and who gets to tell their story on the global stage.