Our favourite radio station was given the title at the latest Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Gala for World AIDS Day Worldwide.

JOY 94.9 received an early 21st birthday present on Saturday night when it was announced as the winner of the Most Innovative Special Event Broadcast Award at the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Gala for World AIDS Day Worldwide.

This incredible project was a 24-hour radio and web-streaming broadcast that connected renowned global experts in HIV medicine and science with local and diverse community leaders on-air and online.

The broadcast date of December 1 coincided with the station’s 20th birthday and honoured its original purpose of providing a voice for the GLBTIQ community during the initial HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia.

World AIDS Day Worldwide was delivered by a dedicated group of JOY staff and volunteers who brought their skills, energy and enthusiasm to help bring this historical project to a global audience.

JOY 94.9 gratefully acknowledges the support of the AIDS 2014 Secretariat, Living Positive Victoria and the various health and community organisations across Australia and the world for making this project possible.

JOY 94.9 were also acknowledged alongside Sydney broadcaster 2SER for their GLBTIQ pop up digital station in the Best Digital Media Initiative category and as a contributor to the celebrated community radio current affairs program The Wire which won the Tony Staley Award.

The station previously won the Most Innovative Outside Broadcast award for its groundbreaking Better Together simulcast with 3AW in 2012.