IRS+ the Audio Intelligence and Creative Network and its creative ideation partner, Foe, have picked up a Bronze award at the Shark Awards 2026 for their “Cut Short” road safety campaign for the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The campaign, developed with the RSA and its media agency Spark Foundry, part of Core, won Bronze in the Radio and Podcast category at the international creative awards.
“Cut Short” used an unusual radio intervention across 15 independent stations to highlight the impact of fatal road collisions on families and communities.
During the campaign, participating stations abruptly stopped songs mid-play and cut to silence, using the interruption to represent lives being suddenly cut short on Irish roads.
The silence was followed by a localised road safety message and the story of 16-year-old Adam, who lost his life in a road collision, told by his mother, Sharon.
The campaign reached an estimated 1.4 million listeners during November and December and focused on behaviours including mobile phone use, speeding and driving under the influence.
IRS+ said post-campaign research found that 73% of listeners reported a strong emotional response to the campaign, while 94% said it made them more likely to adhere to speed limits. All of those surveyed said the campaign made them want to drive more safely.
“As this campaign has shown, audio has the capacity to surprise, create reaction and generate impact,” said Katie Boylan, creative delivery director, IRS+.
Annette Ferguson of the RSA said the campaign had sought to communicate that 161 lives had been lost on Irish roads as of Nov. 30 last year.
“This partnership enabled us to deliver localised road safety messages through trusted presenters who are part of listeners’ everyday lives,” she said.
Orla White, Business Director, Spark Foundry, part of Core, said the placement of the campaign within normal radio programming increased its ability to attract listeners’ attention.
“When it comes to direct messaging that creates instant impact, audio really delivers. It stops us in our tracks and grabs our attention,” she said.
Peter Smyth, CEO, IRS+, said the award reflected the network’s focus on combining local audience insight with creative development and cross-platform audio activation.
“We’re delighted by this win and congratulations to everyone involved,” he said.
Now in its 64th year, the Shark Awards recognise creative work across advertising, design, short film and music video from international markets.
