Best of the Best presents the winners of the 18th annual Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. From more than 550 entries and 26 countries, twelve stories were chosen as winners that we are thrilled to share. Meticulously crafted and lovingly produced, these stories intrigue, inform and inspire.
This year's program will feature producer interviews, highlights from this year’s unforgettable awards ceremony in Chicago, and excerpts from the following stories:
Hour 2
God + the Gays, produced by Phoebe Wang.
Winner of the 2018 Best New Artist Award
In her first radio piece, Phoebe visits Christians from her past and tries to understand whether queer people and homophobic Christians can have meaningful relationships.
Dirty Water, produced by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, with help from outside producer Pat Mesiti-Miller and editor Curtis Fox for Ear Hustle.
Winner of a 2018 Best Documentary: Honorable Mention Award
Dirty Water explores the process of restorative justice, through a frank conversation about sex trafficking. During the episode, Sara Kruzan (formerly incarcerated) and Louis A. Scott (currently incarcerated) share their individual experiences of being “in the life.”
Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo, written & hosted by Connie Walker and produced by Marnie Luke and Jennifer Fowler for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Winner of the 2018 Best Serialized Story Award
Where is Cleo? It’s a mystery her family has been trying to unravel for decades after the young Cree girl was apprehended by child welfare workers in Saskatchewan, Canada in the 1970’s. Like thousands of Indigenous children, Cleo’s brothers and sisters were taken from their community, many sent to live with white adoptive families across Canada and the U.S. Now Cleo’s siblings have reconnected as adults and are determined to find their missing sister.
Espera / Wait, produced by Sayre Quevedo.
Winner of the 2018 Director’s Choice Award
Two lovers share an intimate conversation on the eve of their breakup, exploring loneliness and intimacy.
Counted: An Oakland Story, produced by Adizah Eghan, Anna Sussman, Shaina Shealy, Jonathan Jones, with co-producers Pat Mesiti-Miller, Nancy Lopez, Jazmin Aguilera, Eliza Smith, and Pendarvis Harshaw for Snap Judgment.
Winner of the 2018 Best Documentary: Gold Award
Through a series of audio portraits, this piece provides an intimate introduction to a community dealing with violence. It tells the story of one year in Oakland, the people who were lost there, and the people they left behind.