Black Podcasting Awards Celebrate 2025 Winners With First Live Ceremony.

The Black Podcasting Awards (BPAwards) celebrated a major milestone this weekend, hosting its first-ever in-person ceremony during the Afros & Audio Podcast Festival in Baltimore. The standing-room-only event at the historic Motor House’s Black Box Theater presented 45 awards on 29 podcasts, five podcasters, and one network, spotlighting the creativity of Black podcasting.

Music and culture favorite “We Sound Crazy Podcast” was named Podcast of the Year, and the show also earned two additional trophies. Veteran creator Dominic Lawson of “Black Is America” also claimed three awards, including the peer-voted Podcaster of the Year, bringing his career total to 42.

There were also other multi-category winners. Anna DeShawn of “Queer News” took home four honors, including the prestigious Legend Award. Fellow indie podcaster Lisa Woolfork’s “Stitch Please” won three awards.

Founded in 2020, the non-profit BPAwards celebrates, spotlights, and bolsters Black podcast creators through its annual peer-voted competition. In all, 29 different shows picked up honors.

“To be seen and celebrated by the Black Podcasting Awards means so much. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when you lead with intuition, trust, and faith,” said Goddess Theadora, winner of Best Personal Journals Podcast for her show “The Mediocre Black Woman.”

Honorees reflected on the recognition’s deeper meaning. “Creating this body of work has been a labor of love,” said Christin Smallwood, host of Untoxicify Your Relationship, which won Best Religion & Spirituality Podcast. “It’s a reminder of what’s possible when you lead with grace and purpose.”

“Podcasting is more than a notion,” said Christin Smallwood, host of “Untoxicify Your Relationship,” which earned Best Religion & Spirituality Podcast. “Creating this body of work has been a labor of love — one that has stretched and strengthened me, and I pray empowers others seeking sustainable, grace-filled relationships.”

The 2025 winners include:

• Podcast of the Year: “We Sound Crazy Podcast”

• Podcaster of the Year: Dominic Lawson of “Black Is America”

• Legend Award: Anna DeShawn, Bernard P. Achampong, Wize Grazette [tie]

• Best Arts Podcast: “Stitch Please”

• Best Black Girl Magic Podcast: “Stitch Please”

• Best Blerd Podcast: “Vaguely Nerdy”

• Best Culture Podcast: “We Sound Crazy Podcast”

• Best History Podcast: “Our Ancestors Were Messy”

• Best Indie Podcast: “Un(con)Trolled”

• Best Music Podcast: “R&B N’ Chill” 

• Best Business Podcast: “How I Crushed It”

• Best Education Podcast: “The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators”

• Best Entrepreneur Podcast: “Build to Enough”

• Best Episode of the Year: “Black Is America”

• Best Family and Parenting Podcast: “Early Risers”

• Best Film and Television Podcast: “Vaguely Nerdy”

• Best Guest Appearance: Dr. Ed Garnes on “How Y’all Healing?”

• Best Health and Wellness Podcast: “It’s About Damn Time”

• Best Hosting Team: “We Sound Crazy Podcast”

• Best International Podcast: “Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda”

• Best LGBTQ Podcast: “Queer News”

• Best Limited Series: “LA Made: The Other Moonshot”

• Best Literary Podcast: “But Make It Books”

• Best Longtime Podcast: “Stitch Please”

• Best New Podcast: “Thrive with Joy”

• Best News Podcast: “Queer News”

• Best Personal Development Podcast: “The Letters & Layers Podcast”

• Best Personal Journals Podcast: “The Mediocre Black Woman”

• Best Podcast Cover Art: “But Make It Books”

• Best Podcast Network: “Owls Education Company”

• Best Producer: Quincy L. Lewis

• Best Relationship Podcast: “Love, The Amazing Clarks

• Best Religion and Spirituality Podcast: “Untoxicify Your Relationship”

• Best Science and Technology Podcast: “B The Way Forward”

• Best Scripted Fiction Podcast: “Alpha 8”

• Best Sex Podcast: “Love, The Amazing Clarks”

• Best Solo Host: “Queer News”

• Best Sound Design: “Our Ancestors Were Messy”

• Best Sports Podcast: “Club 520 Podcast”

• Best True Crime Podcast: “Cold and Untold”

• Best Youth Podcast: “What’s Poppin’ Penny?”

BPAwards organizers are already looking ahead to next year. They say applications for the 2026 awards open May 26, 2026.

See the list of all the 2025 winners HERE.