Are you up for a podcast award?
Podcast awards do more than recognize the best of the best or to celebrate the growing podcast industry. They also create excitement and awareness around podcasting, foster community and alert listeners to shows they haven't discovered on their own.
And, of course, there's something very special about being able to say you're an award-winning show.
Most awards are self nominated, and almost all require an entry fee. They come in many shapes and sizes; some are giant industry affairs while others are run solely by volunteers. But every event aims to recognise brilliance, creativity and the passion of podcasting.
Here's our gigantic list:
Podcast Industry Awards
The Ambies
Run by the Podcast Academy, The Ambies are all about celebrating excellence in podcasting and raising the status of podcasting in the audio industry. They include two types of category: Show Recognition and Talent Recognition.
Submissions for entry: The 2025 Ambies have already come and gone. Submissions for the 2026 awards run from 4th August to 17th October 2025.
Who can apply? Any ongoing podcast can enter, and any miniseries podcast can enter so long as they published at least 3 episodes in 2025. (English language shows only)
iHeartRadio Podcast Awards
In March each year, iHeartRadio recognises the best podcasts in the USA at a glitzy annual awards ceremony. The awards contain multiple categories including Podcast of the Year, Best Comedy, Best Crime Podcast, Best Fiction, Best Science Podcast and so on.
Can anyone apply? Shows are nominated by a judging panel (taking their iHeartRadio performance into account) and fans vote for their favorites.
The Independent Podcasts Awards
These are back-to-our-roots awards, created to celebrate podcasters that are "truly free of corporate ties" i.e., no corporate support or celebrity hosts (although you can have high profile guests.)
Submissions for entry: The closing date for entries in 2025 was Thursday, 19th June, with the awards ceremony to be held in London on October 15th.
The awards will open again in April, 2026.
Who can apply? Only podcasters based in the UK or Ireland can enter at the moment.
Podcast Awards/People’s Choice Podcast Awards
These awards honor podcasts in many categories. Podcasters can register their shows during the first half of the year. Listeners can register and vote between July 1 and July 31. The awards ceremony is usually held on international podcast day.
Submissions for entry: 31 July 2025 is the final day for podcast registrations, however it's best to register before 1st July when voting opens.
Who can apply? Open to all podcasts from any country and in any language.
Political Podcast Awards (UK)
Launched in 2025, the Political Podcast Awards bill themselves as the UK’s first awards dedicated to political podcasts, saying:
“More people than ever are getting their news from political podcasts, and they play a vital role in shaping the news agenda and bringing untold stories to the fore.”
Submissions for entry: Submissions of the 2026 awards close on 15th October 2025, with the awards ceremony taking place on 28th January 2026.
Who can apply? Podcasts covering politics and based in the UK and Northern Ireland. The International Podcast of the Year is open globally.
Publisher Podcast Awards
These awards are “a celebration of the podcasting success of publishers and media organisations, whether they’ve been in the podcasting space a while, or have just launched.”
First awarded in 2024, the second awards took place in June this year and included the Publisher Podcast Hero of the Year, designed to celebrate “an individual who has gone above and beyond to demonstrate the value of podcasting to their organisation.”
Submissions for Entry: Entries for the 2026 awards will open in the (Northern Hemisphere) spring.
Signal Awards
Signal says no matter how big or small your studio, the best podcasters are authentic, creative, open minds and change culture. They include four category types: Shows, Limited Series, Individual Episodes and Branded Shows & Advertising and have many awards within each category, including several new additions in 2025.
Submissions for entry (opened in March, 2025):
- May 9th, 2025: Early Entry Deadline
- June 27th, 2025: Final Entry Deadline
- September 23rd, 2025: Finalists Announced
- October 9th, 2025: Voting for the Listener’s Choice Award Closes
Who can apply? Global entries encouraged. (NB they use Google Translate to translate non-English language submissions reviewed by an English-speaking judge.)
Culture & Diversity
Black Podcasting Awards
These are the longest-running podcasting awards for the Black community. Podcasts must have a public RSS feed and be hosted or majority co-hosted by Black people. In their own words: "Black means a person who identifies as such racially."
2025 Awards Ceremony: October 17 2025
Submissions for entry:
BLACK POD AWARDS 2026 SEASON TIMELINE
- 25th May – applications open
- 31st July – applications CLOSE
- 20th September – announcement of new nominees & Legends
- date TBD – 7th annual awards ceremony
Who can apply? Black podcasts from anywhere can apply to enter so long as the shows are in English.
Latin Podcast Awards
This competition recognizes and celebrates podcasts by, for or about the Latino community and are judged on content and quality by a panel of independent judges.
Submissions for entry: Closed in June 2025
Who can apply? a global competition for members of the Latino community producing content in English, Spanish or bilingual formats.
NAACP Image Awards
The NAACP exists to advocate for civil rights due to Black America. Their multicultural awards have a “tradition of excellence, uplifting values that inspire equality, justice, and progressive change, and highlighting artists committed to these values.”
And include Outstanding Podcast categories in News & Information, Society & Culture, Short Form Series, Lifestyle and Arts, Sports & Entertainment
Submissions for entry:
Open -11th August 2025
Close - 14th November 2025
Nominees announced - 8th January 2026
Public voting online - 13th January - 7th February 2026
Eligibility period 1st January - 31st December 2025
Podcasts as a Category
American Writing Awards - Podcast of the Year
The AWA 2026 Podcast of the Year awards were created as a means to recognize excellence in independent podcasting.
They cover 38 categories, including Parenting, Technology, LGBTQ, Interviews, Fantasy & SciFi and many more.
Submissions for entry:
Closing date 15th February 2026
Who can apply? The award is international and open to all shows regardless of country of origin or language. (Transcribe or translate non-English speaking podcasts please.)
Audio Production Awards
The APAs began as radio awards in 2010 and widened in 2016 to reflect its members' expanding audio production activities. They're now an annual fixture in the UK industry, with a high-profile awards ceremony held in London.
Submissions for entry:
Open: 16th June 2025
Close: 17th September 2025
Awards Ceremony: 27th November 2025
Who can apply? Anyone in the UK audio industry
AVA Digital Awards
AVA Digitals reward excellence by creative professionals responsible for the planning, concept, direction, design, and production of digital communication. There are 227 categories, including two for podcasting in the Content Marketing category.
Submissions for entry:
Open: 1st November 2025
Close: 12th December 2025
Who can apply? Open to individuals, companies, and organizations involved in producing digital media for external or internal audiences.
Audio Verse Awards
These celebrate the greatest in immersive audio fiction around the world, including podcasts.
They're by and for the audio fiction community and decided by a public vote. The organizers suggest joining their mailing list to keep up to date.
Submissions for entry: Each year they open for entries in September and voting in October.
Who can apply? Any immersive fiction podcast that's exclusively audio and is discoverable.
Content Marketing Awards
These are the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards and aim to recognize the best in strategy, content creation, visual and audio storytelling. They include a category for Best Podcast/Audio Series
Submissions for entry: Winners announced 15th July, 2025
Who can apply? Anyone, but the show must have recorded episodes in 2024 to qualify for the 2025 award.
Golden Globes: Best Podcast Category
This year, the Golden Globes announced that their 2026 awards would include a Best Podcast category to recognize “the extraordinary and diverse talents in podcasting.”
The list of 25 eligible “Best Podcasts” as determined by Luminate (a leading analytics firm) was announced in October this year and those podcasts have until October 31st to submit entries.
The Golden Mike Awards
Part of the Radio & Television News Assn of Southern California, this year the awards were opened to independent podcast producers, content creators and streaming platforms in the US.
The 2026 contest covers work produced between 1 September 2024 and 3 October 2025, with finalists announced January 2026 and an awards ceremony in March 2026.
Categories include Best Interview Podcast, Best Limited Series Podcast, and Best Open Topic Podcast.
Submissions for entry: Late entry deadline 10th October 2025
The Gracie Awards
The Gracie Awards, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM), celebrate programming by, for and about women.
The 2026 awards have several new podcast-related categories including Audio Podcast Host – Lifestyle, Audio Podcast Host – Educational, Audio Podcast Host – Sports, and a new Video Podcast (Digital Media) category.
Entries must have been originally broadcast in 2025.
Submissions for entry:
Open - mid-October 2025
Early bird deadline - 11th December 2025
Regular deadline - 22nd January 2026
Who can apply?
Judges are looking for outstanding programming or individual achievement by, for, or about women.
Podcasts from anywhere may apply. All entries must be submitted in English or include English subtitles or transcripts.
New York Festivals Radio Awards
The New York Festivals Radio Awards honors the exceptional professional content across many channels, including podcasts and is judged by a panel of industry experts.
Single episodes or series must have aired in the previous 12 months.
The awards introduced a Video Podcast category for the 2026 competition.
Submissions for entry: Entries are self-nominated.
The 2025 competition is closed, and entries for the 2026 competition opened in September.
Who can apply? Podcasters from any country may enter, but you're asked to provide an English translation if your podcast's in another language.
The Peabody Awards
The Peabodys were established to honor excellence in radio back in 1940. Now they cover outstanding digital and interactive storytelling in TV, streaming, internet, radio and podcasts. Podcasters can enter documentaries, entertainment, news, youth programming, public service or arts.
Submissions for entry: Submissions for the 2025 Peabody Awards will open on Thursday, October 9 for all categories.
Who can apply? US and international English language podcasters
Quill Podcast Awards
Running since 2021, this yearly digital awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of podcasters and podcast companies who've become leaders in their field, have a positive impact in the podcast industry and created outstanding content.
Submissions for entry: Closed for 2025, and 2026 dates yet to be announced.
Who can apply? These awards are free to enter and open to everyone. Podcasts must be active for at least 6 months to qualify. Best New Podcasts must have at least 6 episodes.
The Shorty Awards
This international competition began in 2008 and honors the best work on digital and social platforms. It includes brands, agencies, non-profits, content creators and influencers and has a Podcast section with 11 categories including Branded Podcast, Comedy and Mini Series.
Submissions for entry: Key Dates for the 2026 awards
Open Entries - October 30, 2025
Early Deadline - December 4, 2025
Regular Deadline - January 29, 2026
Late Deadline - February 19, 2026
Who can apply? This is an international competition.
The Stevies
The American Business Awards present the Stevies annually and added podcast categories in 2024 to recognize excellence in US podcasts. Major categories include Shows, Individual Episodes, Limited Series & Specials and Features.
Submissions for entry: Entries for The 2026 (24th Annual) American Business Awards® will be accepted starting October, 2025 through an entry kit.
Webby Awards
Established way back in 1996 the 'Webbys' have grown until now The New York Times calls them "the Internet's highest honor." They now honor excellence across eight media types including podcasts. There are two honors in every category—The Webby Award (judged) and The Webby People’s Voice Award (awarded by the voting public.)
To be eligible for the current season, the work must be live and accessible to its intended audience for some period of time between October 2024 and February 2026 (regardless of release or launch date).
Submissions for entry:
Early Entry Deadline: 24th October
Who can apply? Anyone. The 28th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from the US and 70 countries worldwide.
Where in the world?
Asia Podcast Awards
Launched in 2023 by RadioInfo, these awards honor individuals, teams and organizations in media and marketing who create outstanding podcast content in Asia.
In 2025 they received hundreds of entries across 23 categories including Best Children’s, Best Comedy, Best Factual podcast and Best International Podcast.
Submissions for entry:
Closed - 4th July 2025
Winners - announced in Jakarta on 3rd September.
Who can apply? Individual category awards are open to Asian and Pacific citizens or organisations. Entries from countries outside of Asia/Pacific (as defined above) are permitted to enter the Best International Podcast category, but should not enter any other category unless they have an individual or organisational address in Asia and publish from that country.
Australian Podcast Awards
These celebrate Australian podcasts, with more than 20 categories up for grabs, including the Listener's Choice Award. Entries are self-nominated and judging is done by a panel of podcasting experts. They promise to " uncover and champion the best talent of the Australian podcasting industry. We welcome podcasts big and small to enter and look forward to another year of break-through podcasting content."
Submissions for entry: There isn't any information on when entry opens for the 2025 awards, but last year's Sydney ceremony was held in November. You can register your interest here to get more information when it becomes available.
Belgian Podcast Awards
Belgian podcasting is growing fast and these awards aim to recognize new and existing talent, promote great podcasts and encourage listeners to try new shows. Founded in 2021 by Maarten Bovée (chairman of the independent judging channel) the 2024 awards promise to be the biggest and best yet.
Submissions for entry: The 2025 entry window has closed, with the awards ceremony held on 10th June.
Who can apply? They welcome a diverse range of podcast entries including brands, independent creators, comedians and more. People can register online to vote for The Listener's choice award.
Australian Podcast Awards
These celebrate Australian podcasts, with more than 20 categories up for grabs, including the Listener's Choice Award. Entries are self-nominated and judging is done by a panel of podcasting experts. They promise to " uncover and champion the best talent of the Australian podcasting industry. We welcome podcasts big and small to enter and look forward to another year of break-through podcasting content."
Submissions for entry: There isn't any information on when entry opens for the 2024 awards, but last year's Sydney ceremony was held in November. You can register your interest here to get more information when it becomes available.
Belgian Podcast Awards
Belgian podcasting is growing fast and these awards aim to recognize new and existing talent, promote great podcasts and encourage listeners to try new shows. Founded in 2021 by Maarten Bovée (chairman of the independent judging channel) the 2024 awards promise to be the biggest and best yet.
Submissions for entry: The 2025 entry window has closed, with the awards ceremony held on 10th June.
Who can apply? They welcome a diverse range of podcast entries including brands, independent creators, comedians and more. People can register online to vote for The Listener's choice award.
British Podcast Awards
Recognizing excellence, talent and originality in the booming podcast industry, the British podcast awards have been running for eight years and seek to reward both commercial podcasts and passion projects. Their broad categories include Genres, People & Teams, Editors' Choice and Listeners' Choice. The judging panel particularly looks for quality, impact and new perspectives.
Submissions for entry: This year's competition has closed but you can register your interest for the 2026 awards here.
Who can apply? Podcasts and podcasters in Great Britain
All Ireland Podcast Awards
The inaugural awards will be held on 13th November as part of the brand new Sound Waves summit in Adare, Ireland.
Submissions for entry: Are now closed
Final Thoughts
You probably weren't thinking about winning awards when you started your show. Or, maybe you were - in which case, good on you because it means you were thinking about excellence right from the start.
But now you're up and running, why not enter a few competitions and see where that leads? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if your podcasting commitment and courage is recognized by your peers and/or the public.
Enjoy the process - if nothing else, it's a fantastic chance to analyze and review your show and really pay attention to your high quality work.
