COMMUNICATION

Sonifications in this category use storytelling and narrative techniques to tell a story, share insights, or inspire general audiences (rather than domain experts) -- often in the fields of journalism, science communication, or education. Communications-oriented sonifications straddle art and analysis sonification categories, and thus share many of their features, but must ultimately balance the goals of both in service of telling a clear story.

Part 1: An outstanding sonification in the communications category must meet ALL of the following six criteria.

The work tells a clear and compelling story using data + sound.

There are many ways to tell a good story. Some of the techniques that a piece might employ, including but not limited to:

An engaging narrative (spoken or written)
Compelling audience interaction
Dialogue/discourse
A clear focus on either explanation or exploration, or both

The design of the work supports listeners in understanding and making meaning from the sonification.

There are many ways to achieve understandability and comprehensibility. Some of the techniques include, but are not limited to:

Using mappings (connections between the data and the sounds) that are simple and easy to understand
Providing a clear explanation of how to listen to the sonification (i.e. a “legend” or “listening guide”)
Appropriately scaffolding the audience's listening experience (i.e., if the work is meant for general listeners, it should be comprehensible without any prior music or sound training)

The work should have a clear goal/intention, and demonstrate careful design decisions that support that goal.

This could include, but is not limited to:

Sound design that fits the theme of the story,
Incorporating ‘best practices’ of sound design and sonification,
Designing for the listening context (i.e., considering whether it is delivered as a podcast, via a website, in a live setting, and designing accordingly)

The sound design should show careful consideration for aesthetics.

While not all communications-oriented sonifications need to be musical works of art, they should demonstrate that the designers have considered the experiences of the listeners. The sound design should enhance, and not contradict or confuse, the core message of the work. For example, the sounds might be engaging, interesting, or pleasant for listeners–or at the very minimum, not unpleasant (unless the work has an explicit goal of causing distress).

Engage audiences by inspiring their interest in a topic.

The work might pique the audience’s curiosity, encourage them to learn more about a topic, or create a memorable impression.

Inform audiences by enhancing their understanding of a topic

The work might make a complex topic easier to understand, might bring insight to a complex dataset, or might convey new (or previously difficult to communicate) dimensions of a data-driven topic.

Part 2: An outstanding sonification in the communications category must meet at least TWO of the following criteria.

(Note: As we are taking a broad and inclusive approach to sonification, some of these criteria may be in conflict with each other.)

The work evokes emotion by making the listener feel something.
The work achieves something that could only be achieved in sound, and could not be achieved in other sensory media (i.e. through visuals alone).
The work takes design risks and pushes the boundaries of data communication.
The work demonstrates transparency in terms of its process (including data analysis and sonification design), particularly as a way to support audiences in making meaning from data.
The work demonstrates excellent integration of multi-modal elements (i.e. visuals, text, sound, interaction design).
The work focuses on making data accessible for broad audiences (i.e. people who may be blind or low-vision).
The work does not present subject material in stark black-and-white terms, but instead carefully exposes the complexity and nuance of a data topic.

Submissions should include

The sonification itself.
An explanation of how to listen to the sonification.
Documentation of how the intended audience originally experienced the sonification, including any scaffolding features (text, narration, a visual listening guide, etc.). For example, if presented in person (i.e. a concert, a talk, an installation), this may be a video of the work; if presented as a podcast, include any show notes that were published with the episode.
Documentation of the analysis and design process (how the data was chosen, any data processing or analysis, the evolution of design ideas, etc.).