From the Nominator

"Australia is the biggest podcast-listening nation, with 78 percent of Australians listening monthly. We have incredible stories to tell about the impact our researchers, students, and alumni are making in people’s lives—like removing needles from the diabetes testing process and research into green hydrogen that could change the travel industry forever. Our big idea was to leverage this platform to bring these powerful stories to our communities. Partnering with an external producer, we launched our flagship podcast that showcases the people pioneering change, called "The Minds Changing Lives" (TMCL).   

Hosted by Shahni Wellington, a Wandi Wandi and Jerrinja woman, TMCL features the voices of our researchers, students, alumni, and community members who have been personally impacted by our work. This podcast format allows us to explore each story in depth and from unique perspectives—making this an inspiring and informative way for our communities to engage with our stories.     

There is significant behind-the-scenes work to produce each episode, including identifying stories and talent; interviewing researchers and students; recording and editing podcasts; and promoting the episode. We are growing our audiences, and importantly, we know that among people who listen to TMCL, there is a significant positive effect on their attitudes and perceptions of our university.  

Among listeners: 

• 71 percent of listeners felt more positive towards the university after hearing the podcast. 

• We saw a 41 percent lift in perceptions of the university’s reputation and a 33% increase in feelings of positivity towards our university among listeners (versus non-listeners)."

From the Judges

The judges appreciated the clearly demonstrable metrics, the involvement of an alumni host, and the inclusion of real life stories who are impacted by the researcher.