Commercial Radio & Audio has announced that the Siren Awards will be revamped after 20 years. The Siren Awards recognize Australia’s best radio ads. CRA says it is taking a new approach aimed at reflecting excellence across all audio platforms, reaching a broader audience, and maintaining its support of new creative talent entering the ad industry.
The Siren Award 2024 will no longer be a standalone program but a category—the Best Use of Radio/Audio—within the B&T Awards, which recognize excellence in the broader advertising, marketing and media industries. The first Siren for the Best Use of Radio/Audio category will be presented at this year’s B&T Awards in November. Entries will open mid-2024. Previous Sirens judges will be invited to judge the category.
CRA chief commercial officer Jo Dick said CRA is also partnering with Advertising Council Australia (ACA) to support Award School 2024 as presenting partner for the Audio Week brief, through which it will “encourage new and emerging creative talent to embrace audio.”
“The Sirens have been encouraging excellence in audio creative for two decades, and this refresh will ensure the initiative keeps up with our fast-evolving industry,” Dick said. “Our partnership with B&T will take the Sirens to a broader audience, across the creative community, media agencies and marketers, while we are also expanding the scope of the award to reflect excellence across all audio platforms, not just radio.”
Sirens founder Eardrum’s Ralph van Dijk has backed the move and said, “It’s the end of an era, but also the start of a new one, and I’m excited to see how Siren’s partnership with Advertising Council Australia can help foster the next generation of creative excellence in audio. While the Cannes Lions prize will be sorely missed, focusing resources on upskilling creatives will reap even greater rewards.”
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