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On Air 2026 puts students in charge of global five-channel broadcast

On Air returns on October 22-23, 2026, with 150 students leading its London headquarters and a further 1,500 expected to participate through schools, colleges and universities across six continents.

Organised by Media Talent Manifesto (MTM), the world’s largest student-led broadcast will put students in charge of five 24-hour channels covering Culture, News, Sport, Film and Kids, making editorial decisions and working across directing, cameras, sound, graphics and playout, supported by industry professionals. The inaugural On Air Awards winners will be revealed during the broadcast.

On Air began in 2025 as a continuous 24-hour livestream linking institutions on six continents, with more than 1,000 students, staff and industry volunteers involved. This year’s five-channel format takes that collaboration further. The 2025 project is now a finalist for “Creative Innovation Project of the Year” and “Collaborative Team of the Year” at the RTS Technology Awards 2026; the winners will be announced on October 22.

“Talent is everywhere, but opportunities to prove it are not”, says Carrie Wootten, Co-Founder of Media Talent Manifesto. “On Air gives students a real live production experience, with an audience beyond their own campus and professionals who are there to back them. That shared commitment from education and industry is what makes this possible on a global scale, with students at the heart of the production.”

Westminster students at Harrow will connect contributions from Auckland, Brisbane, California, Cape Town, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo. Among the participating institutions are the Brit School, Morley College and Ravensbourne University London, alongside Auckland University of Technology, AFDA, Whistling Woods International, Universidade de Sao Paulo and City College of San Francisco. School, college and university teams will work as part of one international production.

Students will take most presenting roles. The announced presenting pairs include Suzie Cox, known as “Vogue” from the original “Gladiators”, with Mya Harris; Isabelle Baker with Jennifer Chatburn; and Urban Judge with Acacia Daniel. They will guide viewers through the live programming and link contributions from participating teams.

Appear, Cuez, Norsk and Ross Video have joined On Air since the last update, adding to the industry network supporting the production and its student teams. Other partners include Aski-Da Taldea, AWS, Clear-Com, CNN, dB Broadcast, Deluxe, Disguise, Hitomi, Hotcam TV, IAMT, IBC, InSync, Into Film, IPLocker, Levira, MASV, Mimir, Platform Communications, Provys, SMPTE, SVG Europe, Tanooki, Techex, Vizrt, Warner Bros. Discovery and Zixi.

The newly announced On Air Awards shortlist puts work from last year’s broadcast back in the spotlight. Winners of the inaugural awards will be revealed live during On Air on October 22, with content available on demand afterwards. The full shortlist is at www.mediatalentmanifesto.com/on-air-awards.

Award supporters include Ross Video, which sponsors “Future Broadcast Team”, and Boxer, which supports “Best Social Promotional Campaign”. Deluxe, ITV Studios, Laura Meyer, Levira, the University of Westminster and Vizrt also support award categories.

www.mediatalentmanifesto.com

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