Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award Rules & Regulations 2026
INTRODUCTION
The BBC Radio Drama Company today comprises a small ensemble of actors who, while under contract, play as cast across a range of in-house productions. Most are projects for BBC Audio Drama and BBC Studios Drama, but RDC actors contribute to readings, factual, documentary and magazine type programmes across Network and World Service Radio. Given the broad range of casting needs, our aim is to run a company whose membership reflects the diversity of contemporary life in the UK. In recruiting graduating actors via CHBA onto the RDC, the focus remains on assessing vocal versatility, suitability of voice to text, response to redirection, and response to text where required to make own judgments.
Entry to the BBC CHBA is open to full-time Drama students (aged 18+) from those Colleges who are members of the Federation of Drama Schools. The Bursary Awards are conferred on the basis of individual talent and ability in the art of acting for radio. We welcome involvement from all graduating students though we will not accept entries from persons under the age of 18 on Monday 12th January 2026 (the closing date for registration).
The 2026 audition will consist of two Stages:
• Stage 1 – submission of pre-recorded solos from each participant
• Stage 2 – live audition, of duologue and sight-reading in BBC Broadcasting House, London.
BBC CARLETON HOBBS BURSARY AWARD 2026: RULES AND REGULATIONS
In 2026, the event will be held via a two-stage selection process. All qualifying Colleges can take part in Stage 1, but Stage 2 can only accommodate audition spaces for twelve Colleges. Stage 1 will occur in February via a pre-recorded submission with results communicated by Thursday 5th February 2026. Stage 2 will take place in studio at BBC Broadcasting House London across a timetable that spans Monday 9th to Thursday 12th March 2026.
1. The 2026 event is open for 2-4 final year students from each participating Drama School. Colleges may choose how many students they enter (minimum 2). Colleges eligible for entry are those who are members of the Federation of Drama Schools, formed in June 2017. A complete list of eligible participating Colleges can be found below, after these rules. The schools must include regular tuition in radio acting technique as part of their curriculum. If candidates included are from overseas, they must have in place the necessary permissions to work in this country before they enter the Event. Please be aware: candidates may only enter once for BBC CHBA.
2. A minimum of two finalists will each be offered a binding five-month contract as members of the Radio Drama Company. These contracts do not allow for any period of notice during their course. Clauses within the Bursary Award contracts will make this clear - and in nominating their chosen students, Colleges must do their utmost to ensure that the students are all fully aware of this condition of entry.
3. Those elected for Bursary Awards will only have the title conferred on them when they have formally signed their contract to join the Radio Drama Company.
4. The contracts are for a start date of no later than 29 August 2026.
5. Up to four runners-up will each receive a commitment to be engaged as freelance artists in one of Audio Drama’s 2026/2027 projects.
6. Schools intending to take part must register and pay the registration fee (as detailed below) with BBC Audio Drama no later than Monday 12thJanuary 2026. Thereafter, they must ensure that students’ names, together with other entry requirements and pre-recordings of their solo work on MP3 are received by BBC Audio Drama by Friday 30th January 2026.
7 Entrants are asked to disclose details of any and all criminal and civil actions pending against them, or served against them plus any unspent convictions and to keep the BBC informed of any changes to that disclosed up to the point the winner is announced. This information will be handled in the strictest confidence and in accordance with the BBC Privacy Policy.
8 Following standard industry practice, the BBC may undertake background checks of the shortlisted finalists. Information discovered or that may have been disclosed by the entrants themselves will inform the decision as to the selection of the finalists.
9 The BBC reserves the right to stand down, in the BBC’s sole discretion, any entrant at any stage for editorial reasons, or otherwise. Should an entrant choose not to continue, the BBC reserves the right to offer the chance to go further in the Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award to another entrant.
10 Although the BBC reserves the right to act on any information that may be disclosed or that is discovered through research, such disclosure or discovery of itself does not mean action will be taken. The BBC will consider all elements and make a decision in keeping with BBC Policies, Editorial Guidelines and to prevent or minimise any disrepute to the BBC and to the entrants.
11 The BBC works to ensure a culture where safeguarding children, including child protection, is everybody’s business whether staff, freelancer, Talent, Supporting Artist or contractor. Although the BBC is not a statutory body, it has a duty of care for any child with whom it interacts, regardless of the nature of the interaction. https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/reports/policies/childprotection
12 The BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award 2026 event is not open to any employee of the BBC, close relative of a BBC employee, or an employee of a partner organisation.
13 The BBC reserves the right to amend these terms, or cancel or suspend the awards at any time in its discretion.
14 To the extent permitted by law, the BBC will not be liable for any loss or damage (whether such damage or losses were foreseen, foreseeable, known or otherwise) including financial, reputational loss or disappointment.
15 The full list of accredited colleges is as follows:
• Arts Ed
• Bristol Old Vic
• Drama Studio
• East 15 Acting School
• Guildford School of Acting
• Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Italia Conti
• London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
• Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA)
• Manchester School of Theatre
• Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
• Oxford School of Drama
• Rose Bruford
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)
• Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS, formerly RSAMD)
• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD)
2026 BBC CHBA AUDITION STAGES:
STAGE ONE
Stage One will comprise solo work pre-recorded by the Colleges and submitted as MP3s to the BBC.
1. Three prepared solos
a) Each college may nominate between two to four students to enter the event (minimum two). We ask each student to prepare three solos. The maximum duration of each student’s solo collection in total should be no more than 4:30 minutes. The choice of solos should demonstrate range and versatility. It is preferable to choose pieces which don’t involve more than one character. The three pieces should be as different as possible, within the vocal age and accent range of the student concerned. Please edit your pieces carefully: it generally works best if the chosen speeches are not cut in the middle. None of these excerpts should be the same as the prepared duologues offered by the College candidates (see 2 below). As this is an acting award, it is not advisable to include straight readings or poems in this Stage. Self-written pieces are also discouraged.
b) These solos should be pre-recorded by the Colleges and emailed as MP3s – ideally via Dropbox - to the BBC (see Judges & Requirements section below) to arrive no later than Friday 30th January 2026.
c) A BBC team will listen, adjudicate and select one pair from 12 Colleges, who will go forward to the Stage Two finals. These decisions will be made and communicated to the colleges by Thursday 5th February 2026. Those going through to Stage Two will be asked to forward the text of their duologue to the BBC by Friday 27th February 2026.
STAGE TWO
Stage Two of the audition process will take place in Studio 60A in BBC Broadcasting House, London in the slot allocated to the College in the 9th to 12th March timetable, and will need to be facilitated by the College.
1. Three prepared solos
a) We ask each student to prepare three solos. The maximum duration of each student’s solo collection in total should be no more than 4:30 minutes. These might be the same as the solos previously submitted, or include one or more different pieces – there is no disadvantage either way, as the pieces will be heard by a different set of judges from Stage One.
2. Prepared duologue
a) Each duo from the twelve colleges going forward will prepare a single duologue, in English, of their own choice. The duologue’s maximum duration should be no more than 5 minutes. This should enable participants to demonstrate their ability to interact with others.
b) After the duologue is first performed, one of the producers on the judging panel will have the opportunity to give notes and discuss the piece with the students before recording the final take. The material ought not to be beyond the range and experience of those taking part, and should not depend on studio or play-in sound effects. We advise selection of material for this slot to focus on modern pieces as most of the work Audio Drama undertakes is new writing with a chiefly contemporary setting.
3 A short piece of prose sight-reading
We will provide a short piece of prose to each team member in good time before the audition slot. Actors with specific access requirements can request this text to be emailed to them the day before their Stage 2 audition. The sight reading will be performed after the candidates have completed their duologue. Each actor will perform this once, and then notes will be offered before a second take is recorded.
Special commendations will be made to those performances that the judges consider to be outstanding in each of the above sections.
REQUIREMENTS:
To register for Stage One
By Monday 12th January 2026 we will require:
Payment via BACS for One Hundred and Ten Pounds plus VAT(at 20%) by way of a registration fee per college. For bank details, please contact Eleri McAuliffe (eleri.mcauliffe@bbc.co.uk). BACS is the preferred payment option, and if this is not possible, would you please contact Eleri McAuliffe.
If you need an invoice from us, in order to pay this registration fee and the additional VAT sum, please let us know a.s.a.p. so that we can raise the relevant paperwork
By Fri 30th January 2026 we will require via email – ideally via a Dropbox link embedded in the body of an email - to eleri.mcauliffe@bbc.co.uk -
1. Each monologue on a separate MP3 labelled thus: College - Actor name - Play title - character.
2. Monologue texts with accents included on them (and a short context if necessary).
3. Completed entry form for each College
If a duo from your College goes through to Stage Two
By Friday 27th February 2026 we will require via email to eleri.mcauliffe@bbc.co.uk
1. One copy of the script of their duologue
2. This should include cast list and a short context for the duologue
3. CVs of the two students
N.B. Final versions of all information required for each Stage must be submitted by the dates given above. Failure to submit all of the above by the due dates may risk disqualification from the event.
CARLETON HOBBS BURSARY AWARD 2026 PRIVACY NOTICE
Your trust is very important to us. This means the BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such personal data. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.
Why are we doing this and how can you participate?
The BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award (CHBA) is a flagship initiative run by BBC Audio Drama as a key part of the department's actor talent events. It has been running since 1953. Its aim is to attract a range of actors who are graduating from accredited training Colleges, who through membership of the BBC Radio Drama Company would be available as new voices to Audio Drama producers across the UK.
The BBC’s Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award is awarded to a minimum of two (2) actors a year: this is a fixed-term bursary contract with the Radio Drama Company. A maximum of four (4) runners-up receive single freelance engagements in Audio Drama productions.
To apply for the CHBA, a maximum of four (4) entrants will be put forward by their respective Colleges by the registration date of Monday 12th January 2026.
Prior to entering, we ask that Colleges share this privacy notice with students whose personal data they are submitting for consideration for the award.
After submitting candidates for the award, entrants will go forward to Stage One of the awards, where they submit a pre-recorded solo performance, as an audio file. As part of Stage Two live auditions, twelve (12) pairs who are selected for Stage Two will be assessed by a judging panel.
If your students, or you as the student, are selected to receive the Bursary Award or a freelance engagement, they/you will receive a separate BBC contract with further information about their/your privacy rights.
If you work on a BBC broadcast, this may include the programme being available online and/or on demand, and your contribution may be used again in a future broadcast. We may use contributions for promotional purposes on the BBC’s social media sites.
For information in relation to how the BBC will process your personal data where you are providing contributions to our programmes, please see our Privacy Notice for Contributors here.
What personal data will the BBC collect and how will we use it?
We will collect your/your student’s personal data for the purposes of administering and awarding the Carleton Hobbs Bursary Awards. The personal data provided in the applications and during the audition stages will be used to assess actors’ suitability for the Radio Drama Company.
Personal data:
Entrants must be aged 18 years or older on 12th January 2026.
During applications and stages, the BBC will collect and process the following personal data about students who are submitted for consideration for the award:
• Full name
• A brief CV
• Contact telephone number
• Email address
• Confirmation of your/their native accent
• Audio recordings of your/their voice
• Details of agent’s name and contact details (if relevant)
If students are offered a bursary, we will also as assess their eligibility and suitability for the award with a right to work check.
Background Checks
The BBC will also carry out background checks on shortlisted entrants such as online and social media screening checks. The BBC will use the personal data processed as part of background checks to verify entrants meet the eligibility criteria. Information returned as part of a background check may not rule entrants out of the awards, but non-disclosure of such information which is later discovered may result in entrants’ exclusion from the awards.
Who is the Data Controller?
The BBC is the “data controller” of your personal data. This means that the BBC decides what your personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. For the avoidance of doubt, your personal data will be collected and processed solely for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. As the data controller, the BBC has the responsibility to comply, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law.
Lawful basis for processing your personal data
The lawful basis on which the BBC processes your personal data when not undertaking background checks is the performance of its public task. The BBC’s role is to act in the public interest and to serve all audiences with content which informs, educates, and entertains. This is consistent with the BBC’s wider public purposes under its Royal Charter, which require the BBC to: “show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services: the BBC should provide high-quality output in many different genres and across a range of services and platforms which sets the standard in the United Kingdom and internationally. Its services should be distinctive from those provided elsewhere and should take creative risks, even if not all succeed, in order to develop fresh approaches and innovative content”.
The lawful basis on which the BBC processes personal data for background checks is our legitimate interest in evaluating and assessing your application to ensure that we shortlist entrants who are suitable for the awards. The BBC has a legitimate interest to select appropriate entrants whose values align with the BBC’s. We have carefully considered the impact on you and will not use your personal data where the impact overrides our interests.
Sharing your personal data
The BBC works with our approved third-party providers who help us to provide some of our services and to support running of the CHBA. These partners only use your personal data on behalf of the BBC and not independently of the BBC.
Those who successfully reach Stage Two will also have their CVs shared with a judging panel.
We may share personal data with a third party where required or permitted by law.
Retaining your personal data
We hold the recorded auditions of each year’s Bursary winners and runners-up on a shared drive accessed by the BBC Audio Drama producer community. This is so that those who were not selected for the bursaries but have particular talents can be contacted for a freelance casting opportunity.
If you are unsuccessful, your personal data will be deleted after the completion of the bursary.
Winners’ and runners up’s personal data will be kept for the duration of any contracts received or until freelance booking has been received.
The names of Bursary winners and the year they were awarded are retained indefinitely, and are published on the BBC Soundstart website.
If your work is used for broadcast, it will be kept and archived forever by the BBC.
Your personal data will be stored in the UK and EEA (European Economic Area).
Your rights and more information
You have rights under data protection law:
• You can request a copy of the personal data the BBC stores about you.
• You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
• You have the right to ask for the personal data we collect about you to be deleted, however there are limitations and exceptions to this right which may entitle the BBC to refuse your request.
• In certain circumstances you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data, or to object to the processing of your personal data.
• You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data to you or to another organisation, in certain circumstances.
You can contact our, Data Protection Officer if you have questions or you wish to find out more details about your rights, please visit the BBC’s Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy.
If you have a concern about the way the BBC has handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.
Updating this privacy notice
We will revise the privacy notice if there are significant changes to how we use your personal data.
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