Audio Fiction
New Jersey Web Festival has expanded its offerings to include the wonderful world of audio fiction!
Submissions from all over the world, and from every genre, are welcome. Non-English shows are welcome to submit, we would prefer a submission be accompanied by an English translation however we will always find professional judges to consider your work who are fluent in the language of your submission.
Quality is the only criteria: we want to showcase the very best!
We accept submissions to the following four categories:
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Fiction Podcast
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Actual Play (Podcast)
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Actual Play (Video)
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Standalone Audio Fiction
You can submit an individual episode, a section of an episode, or a custom-made "highlight reel" from across your show. Whatever you would like to submit is fair game.
To be considered for the Actual Play (Podcast) or Narrative Fiction Podcast categories you must release your show on an RSS feed. This feed can be private, however. A show must have 3 or more episodes currently available to be considered for the New Jersey WebFest in these categories. Audio Actual Play One-Shots must be part of a larger RSS feed to be considered in these categories
Our Standalone Audio Fiction category covers all one-off pieces, or if you would like to submit a single story from an anthology show, rather than the show being considered as a whole. Video Actual Play One-Shots can be submitted to the "Actual Play (Video)" category alongside long-running campaigns.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ned at podcasts@newjerseywebfest.com.
Submissions are Open!
Submission fees increase the longer you wait. Submit early to save $!
$40 - Submit by October 31, 2023 - Super Earlybird Deadline
$49 - Submit by January 12, 2024 - Earlybird Deadline
$59 - Submit by March 16, 2024 - Regular Deadline
$69 - Submit by June 7, 2024 - Late and Final Deadline
We will announce the official selections on or by July 21, 2024 live on Facebook and Instagram. We will post the list shortly after!
Event Date: September 19-22, 2024
Awards Categories
The awards listed below is the complete list of awards given out at the 2023 New Jersey Web Festival. The awards list is subject to change based on submission pool and judging consensus.
Fiction Podcast / Standalone Audio Fiction
Best Writing / Script
Best Sound Design (Overall)
Best Sound Design (Environmental)
Best Sound Design (Action)
Best Supporting Performance
Best Leading Performance
Best Chemistry
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Director
Best Editing
Best Scoring
Best Series Premise
Outstanding Comedy
Outstanding Drama
Outstanding Fantasy
Outstanding Horror/Thriller
Outstanding Mystery
Outstanding Science Fiction
Actual Play (Podcast)
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Game Master
Best Player Character Performance
Outstanding Actual Play (Podcast) - D&D
Outstanding Actual Play (Podcast) - Not D&D
Actual Play (Video)
Best Costume / Makeup
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Game Master
Best Player Character Performance
Best Overlay Design
Outstanding Actual Play (Video)
Actual Play (All)
Best Editing
Best Series Premise
Best Original Music
Best Sound Design
Combined Awards
Best Original Song
Best Family Friendly
Best Anthology
Best Cover Art
Best of the Best Audio Fiction
The William Dufris "Those Who Dare, Win" Achievement Award
Is this a Podcast Convention?
In some ways, yes. Historically the New Jersey Web Festival has been one of the premiere film festivals for web series, music videos, and trailers in the world. On top of screenings (so that everyone can celebrate each others' incredible work), and an awards component, we offer panels with industry leaders, networking events, and a wide range of programming to give creators the best experience for their work, and to help create connections for their future artistic endeavors. In a way we are creating the first Audio Fiction Film Festival.
But podcasts aren't fil--
Yep, yep, we walked right into that one. We don't have an exact term for what we're making, because honestly, its never been done like this before. We're bringing the magic of film festivals to the podcast space, and the magic of the podcast convention to the web series space. The best way to think of us is we're building a true WEB festival. We are creating an experience for creators on the web. We're here to support each other and that means taking risks and anything new and exciting is a risk worth taking. We understand that Audio and Film aren't the same thing, and that's why we've created the Fiction Podcast Planning Committee, led by Ned Donovan, to connect the worlds between these two communities.
Ned who??
Ned Donovan
Ned is a multi-hyphenate artist and creator. His web series The Hunted: Encore has won over 70 awards at more than 50 festivals worldwide, including Best Score and Best Comic Fiction at the 2019 NJWF. His podcast Encounter Party! spent nearly 8 weeks on Apple Podcasts' New & Noteworthy Charts, has charted in 50 countries for Comedy Fiction, and has been downloaded a half a million times. The show has since been adapted for Television and their second campaign is releasing this fall on the new D&D Adventures streaming channel.