Spotify are looking for women of colour in the podcast community for Manchester's Sound Up programme

Since launching the Sound Up programme last year in capital cities such as London, New York, Sydney, and Berlin, Spotify received over 20,000 applications for the week-long programme.

This year they will be hosting a Sound Up programme in Manchester for the first time, and they're looking to support women of colour by offering a chance to develop their own podcasts.

Sound Up is open to people who have no previous experience in podcasts, and the applicants will be narrowed down to 10 women, who will learn about technical production, storytelling through audio, marketing their own podcast, and more.

Towards the end of the week, the women will have a chance to pitch their own podcast idea for a chance of winning £10,000, which could also result in having their podcast episodes produced.

James Cator, the Head of Podcast Partnerships EMEA at Spotify said, "The UK is leading the way in the world of podcasts and we’re honoured to bring the programme to Manchester, to help women of colour make their voices better heard across the UK and beyond. Podcasts are such an exciting medium for Spotify - providing a platform where different voices and opinions can be heard and shared. By giving these women the right resources, they can help make podcasting more open to both creators and listeners who currently do not hear themselves represented enough."