The station is celebrating being placed in two categories, including one for its special continuous 25-hour live show to celebrate Radio LaB’s 25th birthday last year. The other nomination goes to Radio & Audio alumnus Toby Crabb, in the category of Outstanding Contribution. These latest award recognitions follow the station’s triumph at November’s Community Radio Awards (CRA).

The ‘25 Hours for 25 Years’ show is up for a prize in the Student Radio Moment of the Year category. This nomination evidences the extraordinary effort made by the student volunteers who put together the mammoth broadcast to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Radio LaB’s first ever broadcast back in 1997.  Some of the content included interviews with Bedfordshire’s creative arts alumni, such as BBC Radio 1’s Melvin Odoom and KISS FM presenter Sam Darlaston.

Speaking about the team’s Amplify Award nominations, Terry Lee, Senior Tutor in Radio & Audio and Radio LaB coordinator, said: “It gives me enormous pride to see our students nationally recognised at the Amplify Awards again. The 25 hour programme Toby and Nathan Randle hosted to celebrate 25 years of radio at the University was both an extraordinary achievement and a highlight. Regardless of whether they win these awards, we thank them and we will celebrate their accomplishments. I hope their creativity and hard work inspires current and future radio students to achieve similar levels of acclaim.”

Toby’s nomination for Outstanding Contribution is the latest accolade he is in the running for, following his Silver award win for Young Person of the Year at last year’s CRA ceremony. At his graduation last summer, Toby was also awarded the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire’s Student Engagement Award in recognition of his work as a student station manager at Radio LaB.

Speaking about his nomination, Toby said: “To be nominated for these two awards is an honour and really shows the commitment of everyone at Radio LaB. I am personally very grateful and overwhelmed to be listed for Outstanding Contribution. I want to thank Terry Lee, who has always supported my ideas for the station.”

He continued: “I'm so proud of the whole Radio LaB team which worked so hard to make the 25-hour show a success, particularly the dedication in producing the show together and staying awake for more than 25 hours! A massive thank you to all the past Radio LaB alumni who came on the show to celebrate our birthday and the great history and success the station has had over the years.”

Enric Thier, Regional Officer for SRA London & South East Stations, added: “The fact that Radio LaB is up for two awards this year shows how much of an outstanding commitment the team has. At the SRA, we aim to encourage more young people to become involved in the radio, music and audio sectors by providing accessible opportunities and training. Radio LaB is a great example of that, and we hope the students involved can have bright futures in the radio industry.”

The winners of the 2023 Amplify Awards will be announced at a ceremony during the Student Radio Conference, which is set to be held at Exeter University between 3^rd – 5^th April.