As Canadaland turns 10 and the journalism crisis deepens, we embrace our role in sustaining the future of independent Canadian journalism by empowering new voices and perspectives.
We are excited to announce the launch of CanadaLabs, allowing us to share our knowledge, resources, and platform with both emerging and working journalists and audio-makers, helping them to learn, network, build skills and careers, and develop audiences for their work.
CanadaLabs will launch with three key initiatives:
CanadaLabs is supported by:
Fellowships Partner:
Lead Workshop Sponsor:
Exclusive Design Partner:
As with every show, story, and investigation that we publish, the success and sustainability of CanadaLabs relies on your generous support:
Think local! Create and submit an original short audio story from your community to be featured on CANADALAND.
In our first decade, CANADALAND has published over a thousand episodes, yet we’ve barely scratched the surface. We want you to help us tell more local stories from across the country.
Canada isn’t quite what most assume — it’s often funnier, weirder, shittier, and far more interesting than our national stereotypes and self-mythologizing suggest. Every town, city, province, and neighbourhood holds heaps of untold stories waiting to be heard. Our audiences want to hear them.
Up to 20 winning stories will be featured on CANADALAND. This is your chance to be published and heard by audiences from coast to coast to coast!
Who, what, and what not
Journalists, audio-makers, podcasters, artists, and storytellers from across Canada are invited to produce a story from their community.
We encourage you to test your creative boundaries and employ audio in an exciting way — though we should note that we aren’t looking for op-eds, criticism, or general chatter. Ideally, this will be a bonafide story with characters, local flavour, intentional structure, and a satisfying arc.
The rules
Your story must:
1) Be 3 minutes in length (give or take 10 seconds)
2) Be rooted in place. Think local.
3) Involve at least two of the following elements:
a) a reference to local folklore or an urban myth
b) tape from a local mainstay — e.g., a restaurant, park, city hall, neighbour’s yard
c) the voice of someone you don’t yet know
d) the sound of water (outdoor, indoor, whatever)
What you get
All submissions that meet the guidelines will be featured on our website. Approximately 15 winning submissions will be published to all major podcast platforms and receive a national audience. Winning submissions will be presented publicly in 2024 and receive a $500 license fee in exchange for non-exclusive broadcast rights.
How to submit your story:
Submissions are now open and will close on May 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
Your submission will need to include the following:
Submissions are now closed.
Full list of rules for CanadaLabs’ 2024 Audio Competition (pdf)
When will you announce winners?
Winning submissions will be selected and winners notified in early summer 2024. All other entrants will be notified shortly thereafter.
How will you pick the winners?
All eligible submissions will be given equal consideration. Canadaland’s team of editors and journalists will evaluate all submissions. Submissions will be judged on overall quality of storytelling and relevance to the contest theme, use of sound, originality/creativity, and how the suggested elements are incorporated.
What are the rules for using music or other pieces of intellectual property?
Your story may not break any Canadian copyright or trademark laws or contain any content (e.g., music, unlicensed archival material, or interviews) not owned by you.
Will you accept submissions in languages other than English?
Yes! Provided the story meets our other criteria, submissions will be accepted in all languages. But please include an English-language transcript if your story is not in English.
I’m under 18, can I submit a story? Do I need to be Canadian to enter?
This contest is open to anybody currently living in Canada. We want to hear stories from diverse perspectives from across the country. Age and citizenship status are not barriers to entry.
Can I work with a partner on this?
You are welcome to collaborate with a partner, making sure to note any additional participants in your submission, but we will need a single point of contact for any questions or communication.
Do I really need to keep my story to three minutes?
You really do. Aim for the three-minute mark, and we’ll cut you some slack if you’re within 10 seconds on either side — that is, submissions can be from 00:02:50 – 00:03:10 in length, but not more or less.
If selected, will my piece be edited?
We will not edit finished work, but may level the sound so that it is consistent with our show.
If you don’t see your question here, send us an email at labs@canadaland.com.
Immerse yourself inside Canadaland’s newsroom for four months, learning how to create exceptional audio journalism. Grow your skills while taking your project from pitch to publication.
Delivered in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights, this is a paid program offering two students a four-month placement in Canadaland’s newsroom and an opportunity to work alongside and learn from our team of seasoned journalists and editors. Fellows will receive pitching, research, scripting, storytelling, and audio training, and will complete a project from start to finish under the mentorship and guidance of our newsroom team.
We are looking to recruit and place two third- or fourth-year undergraduate or masters students with a deep interest in creating audio-based journalism and a story or project they are keen to report. This 16-week fellowship at Canadaland’s Toronto office will take place from May–September 2024. Over that time, fellows will aim to complete a project of approximately 20 minutes in length that could be published on Canadaland.
Canadaland’s Audio Journalism Fellowship Program Application Requirements
Position: CanadaLabs summer fellow (two vacancies)
Position type: Temporary full-time, summer fellowship, running from May 13–August 30 (16 weeks)
Location: Toronto
Salary: $28.67/hr (37.5 hours per week)
Applications close: March 13, 2024
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Audio Journalism Fellowship Program delivered in partnership with:
Get into a room with our team of journalists and editors, as well as renowned journalists and industry leaders to build crucial skills and a foundational network of colleagues and collaborators.
Our bright studio at the 401 Richmond building in Toronto will become home to monthly workshops, panels, and bootcamps. All events will be accompanied by hosted informal networking opportunities.
Sessions will cover both craft and career-building and will give attendees an opportunity to dig into topics like: navigating challenging interviews, trauma-informed journalism, effective sound design, developing and pitching your ideas, and how to make a living as a journalist.
Find out more about our 2024 events and workshops.
Sign up for the Canadaland newsletter to be the first to know about upcoming events.
Lead Workshop Partner:
