Shattered School (USA)
By Melisssa Block and Andrea Hsu

Among the victims of this year’s powerful earthquake near Chengdu, China, are hundreds of young students who are feared dead after being trapped in the rubble of their middle school. Shattered School aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.

The Giant Pool of Money (USA)
By Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson

This documentary, a special collaboration between This American Life and NPR news, deconstructs the current housing crisis. It explains what the crisis has to do with the turmoil on Wall St., why banks make half-million dollar loans to people without jobs, and why everyone is talking about the 1930’s. The Giant Pool of Money aired on This American Life from Chicago Public Radio.

The Diary of Leanne Wolfe (Ireland)
By Ciaran Cassidy with Peter Woods

Leanne Wolfe, an 18 year old schoolgirl in Cork, Ireland committed suicide in March, 2007. On the morning of her funeral, her older sister Treena discovered Leanne’s diaries. As she began to read, she learned – to her horror – that her sister had been actively bullied over a five year period. Leanne’s story is told through her diaries and through shared memories of the Wolfe family.The Diary of Leanne Wolfe aired on RTE Radio 1.

Except Me (USA)
By Erin Davis

Andrew Skillings is eleven now, but he was first diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, when he was just two.  Andrew’s challenges impact the whole family especially his older sister Marissa who struggles to find normalcy in a life that revolves around her disabled little brother. Except Me was first posted on prx.org.

Growing Up in the System (USA)
Reported by Shirley “Star” Diaz, produced by Melissa Robbins and edited by Marianne McCune, with help from Kaari Pitkin and Sanda Htyte


At age 21, Shirley Diaz is on the brink of aging out of the foster care system. Her life isn’t easy now, and soon she’ll be on her own, facing a new set of daunting issues. Diaz describes her efforts to create a bright future for herself, as she tries to make sense of her impending adulthood. Growing Up in the System was produced by Radio Rookies and first aired on WNYC Radio.

Dr. Phil (USA)
By Starlee Kine with Editor Alex Blumberg

In the wake of a break-up, writer Starlee Kine finds so much comfort in break-up songs that she tries to write one herself, even though she has no musical ability whatsoever. For some help, she turns to a rather surprising expert on the subject. Dr. Phil aired on This American Life from Chicago Public Radio.

Searching for Farming's Future in Its Past (USA)
By Rachel Leventhal with Executive Producer Daniel Hinerfeld

Searching For Farming’s Future in its Past is part of a series produced by Rachel Leventhal about the impact individuals can make on their world. Jonathan and Nina White own the Bobolink Dairy in Vernon, New Jersey, where they make artisanal grass-fed cheese and wood-fired bread, and are de-industrializing farming before our planet runs out of food – or are trying to. The Whites have proven that sustainable farming can be profitable. But a bigger question looms: How do you make sustainable farming, well, sustainable? Searching for Farming’s Future in Its Past was presented on the Natural Resource Defense Council’s OnEarth Magazine podcast.

Dreaming of Osama (UK)
By Pejk Malinovski with field recording assistance from Katie Burningham, research assistance from Shawn Wen, and final mix assistance from Peregrine Andrews

Dreaming of Osama explores the ever-moving boundaries of the “war on terror” and its influence on the collective unconscious. Osama Bin Laden has a way of lying low, then just as the public begins to forget about him, he makes an unexpected reappearance.  Usually he appears on videos uploaded to radical Muslim sites, but since 9/11 he’s also appeared in bedrooms all over the west…in people’s dreams. Dreaming of Osama was produced by Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3.

Hearts, Lungs and Minds (UK)
By John Wynne with Project Collaborator Tim Wainwright and Project Co-ordinator Victoria Hume

Hearts, Lungs and Minds is a “composed documentary” by sound artist John Wynne who spent a year as an artist in residence at Harefield Hospital, one of the world’s leading centers for heart and lung transplants. Working closely with photographer Tim Wainwright, Wynne interviewed patients and recorded the sounds around them. The resulting documentary weaves intensely personal stories with the often inhuman sounds of the hospital environment. Hearts, Lungs and Minds was produced by Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3.

2008 Audio Luminary Award Winner: Chris Brookes

Chris Brookes has been characterized variously as a “radio maker,” “radio artist,” “documentary novelist,” “choreographer of sound,” “poet,” “composer,” and “wizard.” His work is famous for its capacity to defy convention, mix mediums, and playfully invite new ways of listening. In nominating Brookes for this award, fellow producer Paolo Pietropaolo wrote “Chris’s work and his teaching make it possible to imagine that radio is not an aging medium but, in fact, perhaps the most vital one that there is, with as yet unexplored frontiers to discover.” Independent producer Janna Graham supported the nomination with more praise, "As a young radio producer, Chris has been an amazing mentor as I've struggled to find my voice and develop my work."

Brookes has been creating radio features and documentaries for nearly 40 years. He’s a veteran producer for the CBC and the head of his own independent production house, Battery Radio. Brookes’ work has richly documented the history of his native Newfoundland and expanded the sound of the modern radio documentary across the globe. He’s won numerous international awards, including New York Festival awards for Death at the Door and Songs My Mother Taught Me, a Peabody and a Prix Italia for the CBC series The Wire: The Impact of Electricity on Music, and with this, three Third Coast Festival Awards.