Introducing children to minerals alongside two enthusiastic geologists, in a fun, screen-free way was the challenge facing BRGM and France Inter when they launched the first series of the podcast “The Adventures of Professor Caillou” in May 2025.
Following a second series (released in December 2025) and 2.3 million streams later, a third series was announced on 1st July 2026, and a fourth is already in the works.
Not only did Pierrette Caillou and her colleague Abel make a big impression on the children, but they also caught the attention of communication professionals, who awarded them four prizes in 2025 and 2026 in recognition of the work done by BRGM and France Inter to make science accessible to young people.
Thank you to all the scientists and science outreach creators at BRGM who have achieved this success with the public and won this recognition: Agnès Noël, Philippe Freyssinet, Pierre Vassal, Paul Notom, Gaëtan Lefebvre, Anthony Pochon, Nicolas Charles, Anne-Sophie Serrand, Olivier Serrano, Antoine Lebrault, Maxime Picault, Caroline Ricordel, Blandine Gourcerol, Anne Bialkowski, Anne-Marie Desaulty, Johann Tuduri, Catherine Lagneau and Youri Hamon,
and to the teams (writers, actors, technical staff) at Radio France Studios, including Marine Baousson, Lucie Le Moine, Grégory Vacher and Elisabeth Miro.
Florence Sarfati (Head of Development at Radio France Studios), Agnès Noël and Pierre Vassal (BRGM’s Communication, Science Outreach and Publishing Department) at the 2026 Grands Prix de la Communication awards ceremony on 5 June.
© Association Nationale des Communicants
Awards won by the “Professeur Caillou” podcast
2026 Communication Grands Prix - Two Gold Awards
Organised each year by the National Association of Communicators, the Grands Prix de la Communication have been spotlighting the industry’s most creative, effective and inspiring campaigns for 39 years.
In 2026, the “Professeur Caillou” podcast won two Gold awards:
- In the Podcast category, alongside La Poste (Silver award) and AXA (Bronze award).
- In the “Communication aimed at young audiences” category, alongside the Journées Usines Ouvertes (Open Factory Days) (joint Gold award) and the Ministry of the Armed Forces for the Voluntary Military Service (Silver award).
Agnès Noël, Pierre Vassal (BRGM’s Communication, Science Outreach and Publishing Department) and Elisabeth Miro (Production Co-ordinator at Radio France Studios), at the Top Com Grands Prix Corporate Business 2026 awards ceremony on 9 April.
© Top Com
Top Com Grands Prix for Corporate Business 2026 – Gold Award
The Top Com Grands Prix for Corporate Business are awarded annually to the best communication campaigns, across some thirty categories, by panels made up of professionals working in marketing, communication and HR departments, and by experts.
The “Professeur Caillou” podcast won a Gold award in 2026 in the Podcast category, alongside BForBank (Gold award), Marseille University (Silver award), Groupe Casino (Silver award) and L’Oréal (Bronze award).
CB News 2025 Podcast Creativity Grand Prix – Gold Award
In October 2025, “The Adventures of Professor Caillou” was awarded a Gold prize for “Best Brand Integration in a Podcast” at the CB News 2025 Podcast Creativity Grand Prix ceremony, alongside EDF (Silver award) and Galeries Lafayette (Bronze award).
A podcast to introduce 7–11-year-olds to geology
“The adventures of Professor Caillou” is a podcast for young people, made jointly by BRGM and France Inter. Twelve episodes are already available.
Driven by a desire to share her passion for stones and minerals, Pierrette decided to launch her own podcast. But her recordings were soon disrupted by calls for help from metals in distress! Thanks to an ingenious cailloutolettre (stone letter) system, these chemical elements can contact her at any time. With Abel, she embarks on a series of unusual missions to help them.
A third series is coming on 1 July
On 1 July, a third series comprising six episodes will be released on the France Inter and BRGM websites. Don’t miss them!
