Our storytelling project Temporary has picked up two global honours for 2021, from the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the Webby Awards.
The project is produced by the Kaldor Centre, initiated with support from the Collier Charitable Fund, and features an eight-episode narrative podcast series from the UNSW Centre for Ideas and Guardian Australia.
The AJSA recognised the introductory story to Temporary, ‘A Legacy of Endless Limbo’, as winner of the long-form content category of its annual awards.
Here’s how the judges described the story:
Lauren Martin’s beautifully woven narrative—one that paints individual portraits of “faceless people”—maintains a delicate balance with her in-depth exploration of the multiple layers of politics behind the immigration crisis, the public fear and ultimately, the endless state of limbo. Martin humanizes the experiences of her subjects, defying readers’ assumptions. The story reached great dimensions and depth in physical effort, that sense of limbo, hope breaking through fear. We’re gripped by Martin’s expertise in allowing us to feel the crisis. From there, we try to grasp the “why.”
The Temporary podcast series was named a Webby Honoree in the Documentary podcast category, where Slate’s Slow Burn, Hidden Empire Film Group’s Black History in Two Minutes, and BBC Trending are also featured.
Dubbed ‘the Internet's highest honor” by The New York Times, the Webbys are judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. These digital artists, innovators, and leaders review a vast number of entrants, and the judges noted:
Being selected as an Official Honoree means an entry has been selected as one of the best on the Internet as part of the Webby judging process.
Temporary reveals the lives of people who came to Australia seeking refuge, and the laws that offer them no way to secure permanent protection. In their own voices, Zaki Haidari, Hani Abdile, Elaheh, Kumar, Arman and Yehye cast individual lights on the shared story of 30,000 people who make up the ‘legacy caseload’.
The art, music and photography in Temporary comes from refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia. The podcast is hosted by writer Sisonke Msimang.
Legal and policy context is explained by experts from the Kaldor Centre and the Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS), an organisation based at UNSW Sydney providing free legal advice, assistance and representation for financially disadvantaged and vulnerable people seeking asylum in Australia.
If you haven’t already discovered Temporary, explore the stories and listen to the podcast now, to find out how people survive in a system designed to keep them out.