How time flies! And how the world is still changing! (Thanks COVID.)

Yet, we’re happy that Sound Walk September, and the Sound Walk September Awards, are becoming a fixture of the yearly calendar.
This year, we had over 150 eligible submissions for the awards, meaning that trimming them down to a manageable shortlist was more difficult than ever.
In putting together the shortlist, we almost, nearly, came to blows. Almost, as the team behind walk · listen · create only physically occupied the same space, for the first time ever, after putting together the shortlist.

There has been a lot of excellent work which has been created this previous year.
One trend we identified, and which I also mentioned in one of our weekly mailings, is a shift to, what I like to define as, audio tours that incorporate location-based theatre.
At the same time, we’re also very happy to see that quite a few of you again tried their hands at creating more experimental sound walks.

Below, the shortlist for the 2021 Sound Walk September Awards. In alphabetical order:

• a direction out there – readwalking with thoreau (UK)
• A High Street Sound Walk in Whitefriargate, Hull (UK)
• Bristoler Chronik (UK)
• Collision & Conflict (UK)
• Come Sunday (USA)
• Flora and the Baron (Australia)
• Lore of the Wild (UK)
• Monuments (UK)
• Nida School Chronicle (Lithuania)
• No Birds Land (UK)
• Political Soundwalks: listening to the political protests in Minsk, Belarus (Belarus)
• Ted the Mole in the Touristed City (Italy)
• Where am I? A dislocated soundwalk (USA)

Next, the SWS Board and jury will decide on the winner(s) and runner(s)-up. We are looking at the final announcement near the start of 2022. The year with the most numbers 2 you will ever experience.

In the meantime, over the next few months, we will ask the shortlisted creators to write a background on their individual works, perhaps also telling us how they have kept their creative juices flowing, hopefully inspiring you to pursue the same.