Do you have an excellent idea for a podcast? Does it have a specific audience in mind? Does it keep you awake at night, or do you find yourself wondering, 'I can't believe no one has made this'? 

We'd love to hear it.

The ABC makes great podcasts. We put the audience and their needs at the centre of our work. We believe in entertainment, making people stop and listen, and adding value to their lives. And we are specialists in high-quality, original and distinctive shows. And we've got range; from true crime and narrative to factual entertainment, kids, and comedy. 

If your idea fits the bill, we would love to hear it. 

Please fill out as much of the following as you can.

Your pitch will be assessed against strategic priorities and resources, and we hope to respond to you within 60 working days.

Good luck, and thank you!

To apply for our New Wave Comedy Podcast Callout, please visit the ABC Careers listing HERE

NEW WAVE is an initiative to find and fund the best of Australia’s emerging and mid-career comedy podcasting talent and discover the next great Australian comedy podcast.

It is all about finding fresh perspectives, fostering bold new ideas, providing access to the ABC’s unparalleled suite of production resources and creating a pathway for comedy talent to build their skills and make exciting, distinctive, hilarious podcasts with the ABC.

Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a paid development period on their podcast idea, with support and training from the ABC. At the end of this process, the teams will have the opportunity to pitch their podcast to ABC commissioners.

Podcast submissions can take any form of comedy podcast, but they must be designed to appeal to younger audiences (under 40 years). The most important thing is that this is an idea you can’t stop thinking – and talking – about.

Teams who submit successful applications will be paid to participate in a variety of in-person workshops that provide professional development and support in pitching their podcast to the ABC. Teams will be paid $5,000 to create their pitch materials and each team member will be paid $2,500 to participate in the workshops. Teams located outside of Sydney will receive flights and accommodation to attend four days of workshops from Monday 14 July until Thursday 17 July. All applicants must be available to participate in these workshops. They will feature sessions with successful Australian podcasters and help teams in boosting their writing, recording and editing skills. They will also help teams refine their podcast idea and complete their pitch materials, with access to ABC recording studios and engineers.

Australia has one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world. More than one in ten Australians now identify with diverse sexual orientation or gender identity, and just under one in five people report having a disability. For the purpose of these guidelines, diversity encompasses cultural background, disability status, sexual orientation, and identity and First Nations creators. The ABC strives for diversity and inclusion and to promote a culture of opportunity. Through its services the ABC seeks to represent, connect and engage with all of the Australian community. In line with our focus on diversity, applications are strongly encouraged from Indigenous Australians, people from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people with disability and LGBTIQA+ individuals.

Who can apply?

• Teams (of maximum 3 people) who could write, research and host their podcast.
• Those with a passion for the medium of podcasting. 
• Australian citizen or resident.
• Applicants 18 years or older.
• Have an ABN (Australian Business Number) or willing to get one.

What is the process to submit a pitch?

All pitches must be submitted via the online application portal.   Click on the Apply Now button below.  To submit your pitch, you will need:

1. Voice/s on tape.
2. A proposal document (5 pages or less) providing an overview of your teams' application.

Applications close 8pm AEST Sunday 25 May 2025

You can visit the ABC Careers listing by following the below link:

https://careers.abc.net.au/en/job/504578/comedy-podcast-callout

We’re looking for ideas that could hold an audience’s attention for 6-8 episodes in our narrative true crime podcast, Unravel.

That means one story for a whole season, with some characters who span the whole series, and with twists and turns. We don’t want to tell 6-8 separate stories or case studies, we want to tell a single, compelling story.

We accept pitches all year round, but to be considered for our next Unravel starting production in 2025, we’d need to hear from you by Monday, 17th of March.

We are looking for ambitious and exciting projects that bring big new audiences for the ABC, and garner critical acclaim. The story you pitch to us could be a traditional true crime story, or it could take the genre in a new direction.

If the story has a strong narrative, and is surprising and engaging, we will consider it.

Please fill out as much of the following form as you can. We hope to respond to you within 60 working days.

Good luck, and thank you!