It’s been a busy week for news relating to podcasting awards.
First, on Sunday, March 1st, the final slate was announced for the 10th Annual Podcast Awards. Votes now being accepted thru the Podcast Awards website will determine the winning shows in these categories: Peoples Choice, Best Produced, Best Video Podcast, Business, Comedy, Cultural/Arts, Education, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Gaming, General, GLBT, Health/Fitness, Mature, Movies/Films, PodSafe Music, Politics/News, Religion Inspiration, Science, Sports, Technology, and Travel.
Voting for the Podcast Awards will close on Tuesday, March 24th at 9PM Eastern Time. The awards ceremony will take place during this year’s New Media Expo on April 15th in Las Vegas. The ceremony will be hosted by Emily Morse and Dennis Miller. Morse may even take home an award, as her show Sex With Emily is nominated for an award in the Mature category.
New Media Expo won’t hold the only podcasting awards event this year. On July 31, the first Academy of Podcasters Awards and Hall of Fame ceremony will take place in Houston. From the Academy website:
The Academy of Podcasters Awards will be a set of honors awarded every year to the best of the best in podcasting. Through a unique take on the voting process that does not reward popularity as much as it does quality content, we believe this ceremony will soon become the most prestigious in the industry.
The Academy of Podcasters bases its awards on categories that match those found in Stitcher: Business and Industry, Comedy, Education, Entertainment, Games and Hobbies, Lifestyle and Health, Music and Music Commentary, News and Politics, Parenting/Family and Kids, Science and Medicine, Society and Culture, Spirituality and Religion, Sports, Technology, World and International, as well as Best New Podcast Of The Year and Podcast Of The Year.
Ten finalists will be announced in each category on June 1st. Winners will be selected thru a scoring process carried out by a board of judges. Winners will then be announced at the awards ceremony in July.
Check out the Academy of Podcasters Awards website to learn more about the voting criteria, board members/voting judges, and events that’ll be taking place around the awards ceremony.
Along with its awards ceremony, Academy of Podcasters will also induct members into its Hall of Fame. Adam Curry and Leo Laporte are both listed as inaugural Hall of Fame inductees. There are several other empty slots listed on the Hall of Fame page. It’s unclear as to whether those spots are going to be filled this year or if they’ll be taken care of in the future.
Whether you like the crowd-powered approach of the 10th Annual Podcast Awards or the closed-ballot system of the Academy of Podcasters, 2015 will have an awards process and ceremony for you. Best of luck to all who are nominated, regardless of the awards contest!