Tom Glasser (last right) and Weidong Lin (2nd right) received Roberts Radios as winners of Charles Parker Best Radio Feature awards 2015. Image: @JaySykesMedia

Two MA Radio Goldsmiths students took the bronze and silver prizes in this year’s Charles Parker Best Student Radio Feature Awards.

The award is in the name of a pioneer radio documentary and feature maker most notable for his work on the radio ballads with Ewan Mcoll and Peggy Seeger.

Charles Parker won the Prix Italia for pioneering documentaries fusing folk music, interviews with working class people and narrative.

Tom Glasser, on this year’s programme and Weidong Lin who graduated last year and is now working for Monocle 24 Radio, travelled to Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts to attend a day long festival of workshops celebrating sound feature making.

Charles Parker Day 2015 29th March at Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts. Image: https://www.facebook.com/charlesparkerday

During the Charles Parker Day, Sean Street, Emeritus Professor of Radio at Bournemouth University, introduced the ideas in his new book ‘The Memory of Sound’ which explores the importance of sound and music throughout our lives.

Sound artist Mark Vernon previewed the Centre for Contemporary Art’s own radio station ‘Radiophrenia’ which comes on air in April.

A day of workshops and presentations by creative radio artists, and professional programme makers. Weidong Lin and Tom Glasser on the right. Image: @JaySykesMedia

Tom and Weidong will be getting professional internships, received a digital Roberts radio and their work will be broadcast on national digital radio.

They were interviewed by Charles Parker’s daughter Sara who’s producing and presenting the forthcoming programme on the winners for BBC Radio Four Extra.

Tom and Weidong were recognised for making features that:

in some way reflected an essence of Parker’s own work – for example, story led documentaries bringing to life stories and concerns of ordinary people through creative radio production techniques.

 The judges selecting their work for the prizes were:

• Simon Elmes – Former Creative Director, Features and Documentaries, BBC
• Stephanie Billen – Radio Reviewer, The Observer
• Mike Hally – Square Dog Radio Productions and Vice Chair of Radio Independents Group

 Creative Radio Feature work by Charles Parker Award winner Weidong Lin

Goldsmiths MA Radio winner Weidong Lin being interviewed by Charles Parker’s daughter Sara who’s making a programme for BBC Radio 4 Extra. Image: @JaySykesMedia

Creative Radio Feature Work by Charles Parker Award winner Tom Glasser

Goldsmiths MA Radio award winner Tom Glasser being interviewed by Sara Parker for a programme on BBC Radio 4 Extra. Image: @JaySykesMedia

Past MA Radio Winners of the Charles Parker Award