Are you a podcaster looking for recognition in 2025? Applying for podcast awards is a fantastic way to gain visibility, celebrate your hard work, and join the ranks of top podcasters. This guide covers the top 10 podcast awards to enter in 2025, including prestigious awards like The Ambies. Whether you’re an established podcaster or just starting, these awards offer opportunities for all 👇
In this article we will talk about :
This is the newest awards program on the scene. The podcast agencies She Podcasts and KaSa Media just started it this year.
They launched it because they “learned that over 70% of podcasters in the US are men….and an even larger percent are white, we knew we had to do something to encourage new people and perspectives into the industry as well as recognize those who are currently working to achieve this same goal.”
That is why the awards are for “cis and trans women, non-binary individuals and anyone who identifies as gender-fabulous.”
They say that “We don’t need to wait for anyone to recognize and celebrate us – we’re happy to provide that for each other.”
The categories are not really based on format or topic. They are more focused on overall contribution and impact.
Here are the categories:
You’ve heard of EGOT, but get ready for EGOTA: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and AMBY. The Podcast Academy started the Ambies in 2021 and have worked hard to frame it as THE awards program for podcasts, including attracting big name superstars from across media industries.
The categories are divided into two main groups: show awards and talent awards. Sometimes the Podcast Academy also awards The Governors Award and/or The Impact Award.
According to the Black Podcasting Awards’ website, it all started with a tweet on February 2020 by Tracy Clayton: “f** it, let’s start our own black podcasting awards. nobody sees us til it benefits them, so hell w/ them!”
And thus it was born an awards program that aims to be “a celebration of the ownership and creation of content for the Black experience in the world of podcasting” and “to elevate Black voices... that may not receive the recognition they deserve, in a marketplace that often overlooks the candor of Black digital expressionists.”
The awards categories are broken down by topic, except for the Best New Black Podcast award and the Black Podcast of the Year.
The AAPA is the Asian American Podcasters Association. It describes its award program: “While the purpose is to recognize and increase visibility of Asian and Asian American podcasters, winning a GOLDEN CRANE also encourages under-represented showrunners to further strengthen their voices and highlight their work. All are welcome to apply.”
The AAPA award categories are organized by podcast topics, though two are for technical aspects: The Production Award and The Sound Design Award. Plus, they have a wonderful Student-Age-Hosted Podcast (Ages 8 to 17) Award too.
The topical categories are:
According to the hosting organization, “The mission of the Latin Podcast Awards (LPA) is to honor the Hispanic / Latino and Non-Latino podcaster. We also celebrate the work of other Latino and non-Latino members of the podcasting community who have made a significant contribution to the Latinx podcasting industry.”
The Latin Podcast Awards are divided into four categories: Location, Topic, Demographic, and New Podcasts. They also have a specific award for Mejor (Best) Video Podcast and Voto Popular (People’s Choice).
The International Women’s Podcast Awards are put on by The Skylark Collective and Amazon Music (specifically Amazon’s podcast production arm, Wondery).
The collaborative describes its awards program: “The joy of podcasting lies in its intimacy. In the atmosphere created between the host, guest and listener. In the moments of incredible sensitivity, humour or honesty that keep people engrossed. The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate these intimate moments of podcasting brilliance, and the women and non-binary folk that make them happen.“
The IWPA does not do categories! They only look for “exceptional moments of audio brilliance.” They award about ten podcast winners every year.
The African Podcasts and Voice Awards are given by the Association of African Podcasters and Voice Artists. The Association say the awards help “discover Africa’s unique voices by recognizing Africans deserving of being showcased for the rest of the world to appreciate.”
While the association also gives awards for voice-over and spoken word artists, we will only list the podcast specific awards here.
Started in 2001 and handing out their first podcast-specific award in 2011, this is one of the longest running competitions of its kind. In the audiofestival’s own words: “We take particular pride in recognizing work through our Competition that complicates or questions what has come before, and pushes the medium forward.
Over the years, these award categories have changed. Currently, there are nine categories:
Started in 2005, The People’s Choice Podcast Awards is the longest running podcast-only awards program open to podcasts around the world. Shows must register to be able to be nominated, but fans must nominate them. The top ten most nominated shows are then listed for each category. From there, one winner in each category is elected by fans and some podcasters.
As you will notice, some categories have special names. These are the names of “legacy podcasts,” podcasts which have won the category at least five times.
DiscoverPods, a podcast review site, started this awards program in 2017. Winners are decided purely by popular vote so fans have all the power in this one!
There are four overall categories and the rest are based on genres.
The top podcast awards to enter in 2025 include the Sonic Bloom Awards, The Ambies, Black Podcasting Awards, AAP’s Golden Crane Podcast Awards, and Latin Podcast Awards.
Entering podcast awards helps gain visibility, celebrates your hard work, and connects you with the podcasting community.
Review submission guidelines, highlight unique aspects of your podcast, and include high-quality audio samples.
Yes, awards like the Best New Black Podcast Award recognize emerging talent.
Awards like The Ambies have categories for low-budget podcasts, and some programs offer sliding scale entry fees.
Participate in events, join online forums, collaborate with other podcasters, and vote in popular awards.
We hope that reading through these lists inspires you to keep creating! If you do want to nominate yourself or another podcaster, be sure to check out each program’s details like requirements and entry fees. ✍️
Do not let the entry fees scare you though, many programs have a sliding scale or may be able to help find support for you.
To help you think through if your show is ready for the limelight, check out our blog post on how to measure podcast success.
Even if you are not ready to submit an entry, we highly recommend getting in the habit of voting in any of the popular vote awards. Your voice helps build the strength of the community. Plus, you can see how other podcasts take on the process so you are prepared for when it is your turn. 🧑🚀
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