Sound of the Year Awards

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Sound of the Year Awards SOTYA celebrates sound in all forms from all corners of the world. Winner announcement - 28 May 2026.

17/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the shortlisted sounds for this year’s awards: “Tawny Pipit” by Sol Archer () and Giulia Zabarella ().

This recording documents practitioners of chioccolo, an ancient mediterranean bird imitation practice that mimics the calls of endangered birds. Increasingly, these sounds exist only in the embodied knowledge of this folk art, which is itself rapidly disappearing.

“In this recording we produced a registration of two extinction events folded into one another: the catastrophic decline of ecosystems, through the disappearance of traditional relationships to them, and the knowledge of other-than-human life, pushed to extinction by economic and ecological collapse.” - Sol Archer.

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

16/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the shortlisted sounds for this year’s awards: “EC-ELQ 1991” by Alberto Rangel.

This recording captures the aeolian voice of the wreckage of a Cessna 150 aircraft that crashed in 1991 near the slopes of Puig dels Tossals Verds (Escorca, Mallorca). Using contact microphones attached directly to the fuselage, the audio reveals the internal resonance of the metal as it is buffeted by the high-altitude wind gusts of the Sierra de Tramuntana. It is a sonic exploration of a mechanical skeleton that has been reclaimed by the mountain, transforming a moment of historical tragedy into a haunting, rhythmic metallic drone that bridges the gap between the industrial past and the natural present.

“This recording documents the social afterlife of a tragedy. It is a study of how a traumatic event is absorbed into the cultural fabric of a landscape. Since 1991, these remains have become a vital social reference point. For the community of hikers and locals in the Sierra de Tramuntana, the wreckage is a navigational tool and a place of pilgrimage. The recording captures the pulse of this landmark, giving a voice to an object that holds a significant place in the collective memory of the island.” - Alberto Rangel

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

06/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the highly commended sounds from this year’s awards - “Sound of Daenam Broadcast” by Hee Ju Im ( / .online).

The term “Daenam” literally translates to “facing South.” From June 2024 to June 2025, North Korea’s loudspeaker broadcasts took the form of “sonic terror.” While previous broadcasts operated on a set schedule — maintaining a modicum of tolerance for the residents of the border regions — this recent iteration was transmitted irregularly, 24 hours a day. The volume, type of sound, and duration varied constantly, making them entirely unpredictable.

The sounds were a tumultuous mix of scraping metal, the howling of wolves, human screams, explosions and mechanical noises. It was designed with the intent of inflicting psychological distress on the South Korean residents. Noise levels in the border regions reached nearly 80dB and residents suffered from sleep disorders and nervous breakdowns. The damage was immense, with even livestock experiencing rapidly increasing mortality rates.

“My partner (Jaehyung) and I first encountered this sound in February 2025 through a friend living in Dangsan-ri, Ganghwa-gun which is one of the villages located along the border. Subsequently, we livestreamed the sounds from the field in real-time through 2bpencil.online, the server we operate. The recording serves as an auditory testimony to a political inflection point. It captures the moment when the tensions between North and South Korea, heightened by the declaration of martial law and right-wing policies in 2024, manifested in the extreme form of sonic terror. This recording can serve as a valuable reference showing how sound operates as a tool for state propaganda and psychological warfare.” - Hee Ju Im (2bpencil).

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

04/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the shortlisted sounds from this year’s awards - “New Year in the Prohibition Zone” by Boyi Bai.

This recording was made during the 2026 Lunar New Year in China. Firecrackers have long been an essential part of the celebration, forming a distinctive acoustic marker of the festival. In recent years, however, local governments have increasingly restricted or banned the use of fireworks in many urban areas. For many people, this has noticeably altered the atmosphere of the New Year, and some feel that elements of traditional festive culture are gradually fading.

“The 2026 New Year was widely discussed among many people in China because the sound of firecrackers seemed noticeably more frequent than in previous years. Despite the warnings and legal reminders, many residents chose to continue this practice in order to preserve the atmosphere and memory associated with the festival. In this sense, the recording documents not only a festive soundscape but also a moment in which people quietly insisted on maintaining a cultural tradition that has long been central to the Lunar New Year experience.

At the same time, the recording also reveals a subtle but powerful form of collective resistance. In a social environment where individuals rarely express open opposition to official rules, these scattered bursts of firecrackers can be heard as small yet meaningful acts of defiance.” - Boyi Bai

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

03/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the shortlisted sounds from this year’s awards - “IDF Israel Checkpoint Between Bethlehem and Jerusalem” by Julio César Palacio ().

This recording captures the moment when Julio César passed through an Israeli checkpoint, from the West Bank and Palestinian territories. The travelers in car included people from Italy, Spain, China and the United States.

“I recorded it secretly, with the recorder hidden under the seat. I’m glad I dared to record it and that I have this audio. It was actually reckless of me. The next few times, I didn’t record again, knowing it was dangerous to do so. I think it’s a unique recording and that, in its brevity, it captures a lot of what we’re going through right now.” - Julio César Palacio

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

02/07/2026

Today we spotlight one of the highly commended sounds from this year’s awards - “Jingrwai Lawbei (The Whistling Names)” by Sejal Pawar (._).

This recording captures the rare tradition of whistled names from Kongthong, a village in Meghalaya, India, where people are not called by spoken names but by melodies. Known as Jingrwai Lawbei these names are composed by mothers for their children giving each individual a unique musical identity that carries emotion memory and belonging.

These sounds were recorded as part of an exploratory film supported by the Wari Art initiative (), allowing an immersive engagement with the community. Little known outside the village, this tradition is now slowly fading as migration and modern lifestyles take over.

“This recording captures a rare and intimate form of identity where each melody becomes a personal signature carried through life. It also holds strong documentary value as this little known tradition is slowly fading. Through this soundscape the intention is to preserve a way of life where identity is sung – not spoken – before it disappears.” - Sejal Pawar

Filmmaker: Kosheen Raina () 
Cinematographer: Saptarshi Datta ()

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

30/06/2026

Today we spotlight one of the runners up from this year’s awards - “Treehopper Songs Inside a Plant Stem” by Tom Fisher aka .

Recorded in the Colombian rainforest using a modified contact microphone, Tom was able to eavesdrop on a community of treehopper insects as they sent vibrations to each other through a plant stem.

“These amazingly characterful and musical signals, which are normally inaudible to the human ear, are actually happening all around us. They even occur in temperate regions, with insect species living on the humble bramble or nettle plants. Yet they remain largely understudied and overlooked. I find it deeply inspiring not only to consider how these sounds have been occurring unnoticed for millennia, but also to reflect on how, by turning our focus to listening attentively to these small and wildly beautiful songs, we begin to realise just how much there is still to understand and appreciate about those with whom we share this planet.” - Tom Fisher

Photo by Charlotte Malphettes ().

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

29/06/2026

Today we spotlight one of the shortlisted sounds from this year’s awards - “A Lemurs Song” created by Georgie Styles (.styles) and Laura Misch ().

This submission foregrounds the vocalisations of the Indri lemur, which can only be found in Madagascar’s rainforests. Famous for their eerie, melodic calls, the Indri are one of the few primates that sing and have a relationship to rhythm that’s very similar to our own. But this species is critically endangered and facing rapid decline from habitat loss, slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting.

“I think this recording is both extraordinary and rare, and at real risk of disappearing. The recording doesn’t simply document a species; it places the listener within its fragile habitat. By capturing their songs at this moment in time, the piece becomes both a celebration and preservation - an audio recording of a voice that could fall silent within our lifetime. It reminds us that the natural world is not separate from our cultural world - it is foundational to it. This recording therefore reflects and celebrates the natural world in its purest feminine form, while powerfully highlighting a sound on the brink.” - Georgie Styles

This submission is a compilation of sections of the soundscape used in the radio documentary, A Lemur’s Song, a 2 Degrees West Production () for BBC Radio 4 ‘Illuminated’ ().

Producer and Presenter: Georgie Styles
Field Recordings: Georgie Styles
Original Music: Laura Misch
Music Mix: Oli Barton-Wood
Documentary Mix: Rowan Bishop
Executive Producer: Louise Orchard

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

26/06/2026

Today we spotlight “Alikine Ane Pesek” by Markus Rumbino (). The recording was made in January 2026 in the Yogonima Village, Baliem Valley, Papua Highlands, during the first Hugulama Indigenous School Festival.

For the Hubula people, sound (ane) is a non-verbal language connecting humans, nature, and ancestors. At dusk, the sound of Alikine (cicada), a large cricket-like insect, marks the transition from afternoon to night. It was then followed by the collective performance of Pesek, involving elders, women and youth in a shared sonic expression of memory and identity.

“The musical uniqueness of ‘Alikine Ane Pesek’ lies in the integration of natural sound and human performance, where the sound of Alikine functions as a rhythmic and temporal cue that initiates the collective vocal practice of Pesek. Musically, its structure does not follow Western tonal systems, but is based on repetition, responsorial patterns, and flexible intonation that reflect communal communication. From a sonic perspective, the acoustic landscape is a fusion of biophony, geophony, and anthropophony, interconnected without hierarchy between human and non-human sounds. In this context, sound is understood as ‘ane’, a meaningful entity that connects humans, nature, and ancestors within a relational ecosystem. The practice of Pesek also serves as a medium for transmitting collective memory, preserving moral values, histories, and identity as a living archive passed across generations. Therefore, this documentation holds not only scientific and cultural significance but also serves as a form of advocacy against development pressures that threaten the ecological soundscape and knowledge systems of the Hubula people.” - Markus Rumbino

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

24/06/2026

Today we spotlight “Noise Pollution in Puay Village” by Obed Fiobetauw. Hailing from Yokiwa Village, East Sentani in West Papua, Obed is one of the six recipients of the inaugural fund.

In partnership with and , the EarthSonic Fund aims to widen access to nature sound recording among primarily Global Majority youth (18-30) facing barriers to participation in the field due to conflict, climate change, and social injustice.

EarthSonic’s says: “This recording features sounds of various bird species and insects in the sago grove and matoa fruit area during the harvest season. The forest is drowned out at times by sounds of machinery and aeroplane traffic. The sounds of the forest, combined with the sounds of industrial capitalism, embody a sense of foreboding and loss, but also the continued presence and resilience of the natural world.”

Listen to all the shortlisted, highly commended and winning sounds via the . Available on all major podcast platforms.

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