Forever Audio Wins 'Radio Spot for Good' at 2025 Radio Mercury Awards

'The Worst Radio Ad' That Won

Spoiler alert: It’s not actually the worst. But it is one of the most powerful.

Forever Audio, in collaboration with its partners at the creative agency Mischief, has taken home a Radio Mercury Award in the 'Single Broadcast Radio Spot for Good' category. All with an ad that proudly calls itself 'The Worst Radio Ad.'

So, what made it “the worst”?

Well, that was kind of the point.

No slick sound design. No polished voiceover. No carefully scored music. It had none of the things you’d usually associate with a big creative production, and that’s exactly what made it so unforgettable.

This PSA stripped everything back to its raw essentials, focusing on the one thing that really matters: the message.

In just 60 seconds, it delivers a punch, tackling the very real and urgent issue of gun violence. It’s a subject that deserves to be heard loud and clear, and sometimes, the best way to do that is to let the words speak for themselves. No distractions. No gloss. Just a straight, powerful story.

As the ad says, it might be the worst-sounding ad you've ever heard, but its impact goes way beyond audio quality.

Audio storytelling at its most powerful

This spot is a reminder of what audio does best: storytelling that sticks with you. You don’t need a huge media buy or fancy production to spark conversation. You just need honesty, emotion, and the courage to say something that matters.

The win means more than a trophy, too; the prize money is being donated to Gun Violence Prevention efforts, because making noise only works if it helps make change.

The team at Forever Audio are incredibly grateful to Mischief for trusting them with such an important piece of work and for their creative bravery in taking this concept all the way. And would like to thank the Radio Mercury Awards, which celebrates the very best in audio creativity.

For those who don’t know, the Radio Mercury Awards spotlight campaigns that push creative boundaries across audio and radio. With nearly 20,000 entries competing for millions in prizes over the years, they’ve become a powerful showcase of what the audio medium can do.

The Forever Audio team are proud to have played their part in telling a story that matters. Sometimes the most stripped-back ideas are the most powerful ones of all.