Podcast contest
The University of Victoria Libraries student podcast award is intended to recognize and celebrate the high-quality work being created by UVic students in the world of podcasting. The contest is meant to highlight and demonstrate the ways students are living UVic’s values of “engaged learning and real-life involvement to contribute to a better future for people and the planet.”
$1000 in prizes
Contest guidelines
- Candidates may only submit one episode of their podcast, to a maximum of 90 minutes in length. Please choose the episode that best represents your podcast.
- All genres of podcast are welcome.
- Podcasts can be ongoing or complete. Episodes can be standalone or part of a series.
- Podcasts created as part of a school assignment or the result of independent work (including previously published work) are eligible for consideration.
- Video podcast submissions will not be accepted at this time. Audio submissions only.
- Entrants must include a 250-word summary description of their podcast and its intended impact in the submission form
- To be eligible for this contest, entrants must be current UVic students (including undergraduate, graduate, continuing, full or part-time).
- Podcasts must follow university guidelines on academic integrity.
Judging criteria
Individual submissions will be judged based on technical excellence, creative and engaging storytelling, and impact.
Prizes
Contest winners will receive the following:
- Two individual cash prizes of $500
- Award certificate
- Winning entries will be published in UVicSpace (UVic Libraries' open access institutional repository) and highlighted on UVic Libraries’ social media channels
Resources
Check out these podcasting resources at UVic Libraries:
- The Podcasting Room at Mearns Learning Centre – McPherson Library has professional quality microphones along with a Windows PC with sound editing software (Audacity) installed. Room booking and access is available through Mearns-McPherson Ask Us desk.
- Additional podcasting tools like microphones, audio recorders, and headphones can be borrowed from the Mearns-McPherson Ask Us desk.
- Check out Taapwaywin: talking about what we know and what we believe, a UVic Libraries podcast about truth and reconciliation
- DSC podcasting workshops
Winners of the 2023 Podcast Contest:
Check out the winning episodes!
Elijah Buffalo, Metawewin
Elijah Buffalo is from the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, AB, Treaty 6 and resides on Lekwungen and WSANEC territory with his partner and two stepchildren. Currently a student at UVic, he is on the path to medical school at UBC’s Island Medical Program.
Elijah's interest in health, fitness, sports, and medicine finds expression through his podcast, Metawewin (meaning to play in Nehiyawewin). The podcast serves as a platform for discussions with diverse guests, including Indigenous athletes, Elders, academics, leaders, and allies. Metawewin facilitates learning and connection with Indigenous individuals globally, focusing on topics like sports, medicine, and their roles in Indigenous resurgence and decolonization.
Originally conceived to address barriers in mainstream sports for Indigenous people, the podcast has evolved into a more comprehensive exploration. Metawewin takes a holistic approach, examining how sports and movement-based practices influence the ceremonies and relationships Indigenous communities have with the land, waters, and more-than-human relatives. In doing so, it underscores the enduring importance of these elements in Indigenous cultures.
Julia Parmar and Jessica Zaza, Teacher Talk
Julia and Jess are secondary teacher candidates in UVic’s Teacher Education program. Their podcast was originally created as a part of their Transforming The World project for a Humanities course that prompted them to design a creative way to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their future classrooms. They selected the UN’s twelfth goal of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns worldwide, which then led them to the ever-relevant subject of fast fashion.
Their conversation addresses some of the human and environmental harm caused by the fast fashion industry; these future teachers also provide numerous alternatives to participating in the incessant trend cycles and mindless garment disposal habits that have become commonplace in our societies. Julia and Jess feel really passionate about using their role as teachers to emphasize student agency and capacity to create positive change on both a local and global scale. They hope that Teacher Talk: Holy Shirt! How to Live Sustainably in a World of Fast Fashion inspires any and every listener, from teachers to teenagers, to think twice about where they choose to buy their clothes; and to always remember — and advocate for — the hands who made them.
The 2023 contest has ended. Contact Library Awards at libraryawards@uvic.ca for more information about the contest.