The winning producers will split $25,000 total to support their future creative efforts and will share the spotlight in the national 2006 Third Coast Festival Broadcast.



Note! The TCF Broadcast, hosted by Alex Kotlowitz and featuring the winners of the 2006 TCF/ Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition, is available here - but just until January 10, 2007.

Read more about the winning producers and see them accepting their awards Behind the Scenes

BEST DOCUMENTARY: GOLD AWARD
My Lobotomy (USA)
by Piya Kochhar and Dave Isay, Sound Portraits

My Lobotomy explores one of medical history’s most controversial chapters—when transorbital lobotomies were widely condoned—through one man’s personal journey. Howard Dully, a 57 year-old bus driver from California, takes listeners along on his quest to discover why he was lobotomized when he was just twelve. My Lobotomy first aired on NPR’s All Things Considered. (24:43)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: SILVER AWARD
Goat on a Cow (USA)
by Laura Starecheski, Jad Abumrad, and Ellen Horne

Laura Starecheski finds herself figuratively falling down a rabbit hole (microphone and all) as she embarks on a journey that begins with the story of a goat, a cow and a box of old letters. A seemingly random set of characters—homesick WWII soldiers, an estranged husband, an amateur genealogist and a Manhattan school teacher—come into focus as Starecheski unearths the web that interconnects them. Goat on a Cow first aired on WNYC’s Radiolab. (21:35)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: BRONZE AWARD
Thembi’s AIDS Diary (USA)
by Joe Richman, Radio Diaries

In South Africa more than five million people are living with HIV/AIDS including a young woman named Thembi Ngubane. Thembi kept a radio diary for over a year, giving voice to her thoughts and experiences and providing insight into an incomprehensible epidemic. Thembi’s AIDS Diary first aired on NPR’s All Things Considered.(23:00)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: DIRECTORS' CHOICE
Rhapsody in Bohemia (UK)
by Alan Hall, Falling Tree Productions

 “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen is one of the most ambitious and enduring pop songs of all time. Rhapsody in Bohemia evaluates the musical and broader cultural legacy of the song through critical (and joyful) deconstruction. Rhapsody in Bohemia first aired on BBC Radio 4. (27:30)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: DIRECTORS' CHOICE
Honoring the Body: Taharah (USA)
by Rebecca Sheir

The Jewish burial ritual places great importance on treating the deceased with the utmost honor and respect. This is especially important during the ceremony of taharah, which involves the physical cleansing of the dead body. In this documentary, three people who have taken part in taharah share their experiences. Honoring the Body:Taharah was first presented as part of Sheir’s MFA Thesis, University of Iowa. (15:45)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: HONORABLE MENTION
Millionaire (Ireland)
by Ronan Kelly

Roger Dowds was a painfully shy man who lived a quiet, sheltered life until he became a contestant on Ireland’s popular version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Over the course of this documentary the difficult twists and turns in Dowd’s life are revealed, alongside the inner strength and wit that has helped him survive. Millionaire first aired on Flux, a weekly program on Ireland’s RTE 1. (27:08)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: HONORABLE MENTION
Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu (USA)
by Ann Heppermann, Kara Oehler and Rick Moody

This story is a window into the life of Mohammed Naseehu Ali, who left his home, family and future in tribal government to become a musician and writer in America. Still, he often thinks about his childhood and a particular song that ties him to his father and his homeland. Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu first aired on Weekend America, as part the “Song and Memory” series.
(5:14)

RADIO IMPACT AWARD
Between Friends (Canada)
by Neil Sandell and Jody Porter

Between Friends is the story of one woman’s coming to terms with being sexually victimized by her father. As Porter tells her story, she comes to understand the burden she placed on her lifelong girlfriend—the only person she trusted with her terrible secret during her childhood. Between Friends first aired on Outfront on CBC Radio. (13:00)

BEST NEW ARTIST AWARD
Muriel’s Message (Canada)
by Mira Burt-Wintonick

Memories of a much beloved grandmother resurface when a box of unlabeled audio cassettes is discovered in the basement. Muriel’s Message first aired on CJLO, Concordia University. (6:28)

Setting Sail: A Word or Two Before You Go
Both humorous and profound, Setting Sail gently tells stories of death, blending interviews with grave diggers, undertakers, funeral directors and the bereaved. First aired on the BBC in 1986, won a Prix Italia that same year.
(7:10 excerpt)

At the Window: Glimpses of a Chicago Piano Player
Combining old piano recordings, unmistakable sounds of Chicago and interviews with family and friends, At the Window evokes the story of blues piano player and White Sox groundsman Jimmy Yancey. First aired on the BBC in 1999 and co-produced with Alan Hall.
(5:48 excerpt)

Radio Radio featuring Piers Plowright
Martin Spinelli's Radio Radio (a series exploring experimental radio) presents an extended interview with Plowright about the documentary tradition in British radio and excerpts from some of his adventurous work. First aired on Resonance-FM in 2003.
(44:59)

Learn more about Plowright, from excerpts of letters supporting his nomination for the ALA, to some of his original poetry and art, Behind the Scenes.