Ten shows will compete for the best podcast honor as the iHeartPodcast Awards return. The podcast publisher today released the list of nominees across 29 categories for the March show. The list includes a new award category: Best Overall Ensemble.
The nominees for top honor – Podcast of the Year – include Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Crime Junkie, Fly On The Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, Las Culturistas, Love and Noraebang, Maintenance Phase, Morbid, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Scam Goddess and SmartLess. The winner will once again be chosen by podcast listeners who can vote on Twitter through the end of the year.
Some winners are already known as iHeart has also announced that the annual Icon Awards – which pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting’s expanding role in today’s popular culture – are going to four women.
Kara Swisher, acclaimed tech journalist, editor and host of Vox Media’s On with Kara Swisher and co-host of Pivotwith Scott Galloway, will be honored with the 2023 Pioneer Award.
Dr. Laurie Santos, host of Pushkin’s The Happiness Lab podcast and creator of the free “Psychology and the Good Life” curriculum for high school teachers which teaches students about wiser choices and how to live a happy and fulfilling life, and Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, host of the iHeart-produced mental health podcast Therapy for Black Girls, whose work focuses on making mental health topics more relevant and accessible for Black women, will both be honored with a 2023 Social Impact Award.
Ashley Flowers, founder and CEO of the podcast production company Audiochuck, and co-host of the Crime Junkie podcast, will be honored with the 2023 Innovator Award.
“We continue to see tremendous growth in the podcast industry, as this medium explodes with new creators and brand interest alike,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s Digital Audio Group. “To celebrate the most noteworthy, innovative storytellers in podcasting, we are proud to host the signature event to honor this creativity and empower new and emerging voices around the world,” he said in the announcement.
The 2023 iHeartPodcast Awards will video stream on Tuesday, March 14 at 9 pm ET on iHeartRadio’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page, as well as broadcast on select iHeartMedia radio stations across the country. The show will also be available on demand following the initial stream.
The full 2023 category nominees (in alphabetical order) are:
Podcast Of The Year
Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Crime Junkie
Fly On The Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
Las Culturistas
Love and Noraebang
Maintenance Phase
Morbid
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Scam Goddess
SmartLess
Best Overall Ensemble:
Best Friends with Nicole Byer & Sasheer Zamata
Conan O'Brian Needs a Friend
Just Between Us
Let's Make a Sci-Fi!
SmartLess
Best Business & Finance Podcast:
Earn Your Leisure
How I Built This
Odd Lots
Planet Money
The Indicator
Best Comedy Podcast:
Distractible
Las Culturistas
SmartLess
The Read
Why Won't You Date Me
Best Crime Podcast:
Believe Her
Crime Junkie
Morbid
Scam Goddess
Sympathy Pains
Best Pop Culture Podcast:
Decoder Ring
Keep It
The Video Archives with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avery
Vibe Check
Watch What Crappens
Best Food Podcast:
Naked Lunch
Proof
Recipe Club
The Dave Chang Show
The Sporkful
Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast:
Huberman Lab
HypochondriActor
Maintenance Phase
Ten Percent Happier
Therapy For Black Girls
Best History Podcast:
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
History Daily
Noble Blood
You Must Remember This
You're Wrong About
Best Kids & Family Podcast:
Brains On!
Good Inside with Dr. Becky
Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids
Story Pirates
Wow In The World
Best Music Podcast:
Broken Record
Drink Champs
Listening
Questlove Supreme
Song Exploder
Best News Podcast:
Morning Wire
Pod Save America
The Daily
Today Explained
Up First
Best Fiction Podcast:
Blood Thirsty Hearts
Echo Park
Love and Noraebang
Princess of South Beach
Welcome To Night Vale
Best Sports Podcast:
All The Smoke
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Draymond Green Show
The Fantasy Footballers
The Lowe Post
Best Science Podcast:
Huberman Lab
Invisibilia
Ologies with Alie Ward
Radiolab
Science Vs
Best Technology Podcast:
20000 Hertz
Darknet Diaries
On With Kara Swisher
Pivot
Reply All
Best Ad Read Podcast:
Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
My Brother, My Brother, and Me
Office Ladies
Unlocking Us with Brene Brown
Why Won't You Date Me with Nicole Byer
Best Overall Host:
Ashley Flowers
Jay Shetty
Kara Swisher
Nicole Byer
Sarah Marshall
Best Political Podcast:
Here's Where It Gets Interesting
NPR Politics Podcast
Pod Save America
The Ben Shapiro Show
The Daily Zeitgeist
Best TV & Film Podcast:
Fake Doctors, Real Friends
Films to be Buried With
How Did This Get Made?
Into It
Watch What Crappens
Best Spanish Language Podcast:
Ciudad Mágica
Crónicas Obscuras
Escuela Secreta
Idolo
Leyendas Legendarias
Best Advice & Inspirational Podcast:
Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People
Chiquis and Chill
I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast:
Add to Cart
Forever35
Natch Beaut
POOG
Pretty Basic
Best Travel Podcast:
Atlas Obscura
Behind The Baller Podcast with Ben Baller
Not Lost
Travel with Rick Steves
Women Who Travel
Best Green Podcast:
Climate of Change with Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy
Climate One
Hot Take
Living on Earth
TED Climate
Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast:
Awakened Underground
Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield
May I Elaborate? Daily Wisdom from JB Smoove
On Being
The Joel Osteen Podcast
Best Branded Podcast:
Force Multiplier
Hazlo Por La Chela
Inside Trader Joes
Now What's Next?
Smart Talks with IBM
Best Emerging Podcast:
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Significant Others
Sounds Like A Cult
The Video Archives Podcast
TV, I Say with Ashley Ray
Best International Podcast:
British Villains (UK)
El Viaje (Mexico)
Feu de Camp (France)
La Mia Smemo (Italy)
RedHanded (UK)
Executive producers for the 2023 iHeartPodcast Awards are John Sykes, Tom Poleman, Conal Byrne and Bart Peters for iHeartMedia, and Deviants Media Studio founder Ivan Dudynsky and show runner Jayson Belt.
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