Please read the categories and criteria, along with the eligibility criteria below before you start your entry.

Please note, we only accept entries from podcasts from the UK & Ireland. For more details on this you can read our FAQs.

Definition of An Independent Podcast

For the purposes of these awards, a podcast is considered independent if it is produced without the financial support of a large organisation such as a publishing company, or brand, and is not fronted by high profile celebrities for whom this is one of many revenue streams.

Independent productions of all sizes are welcome, and our awards seek to highlight those that demonstrate independent spirit.

Podcasts that have had high profile guests do qualify for the awards.

Eligibility Of Podcasts

To be eligible for entry you must have released at least 10 episodes of your podcast in the last 12 months, or be a contained mini-series. The podcast must be hosted on a platform that is easily accessible to all (e.g. cannot be only available on a private feed for subscribers).

Inclusivity

Inclusivity is very important to us. We especially want to hear from podcasts hosted by female or non-binary hosts, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of colour, anyone with disabilities or other marginalised groups, especially if your podcast is aimed towards those communities.

Entering Multiple Categories

You can enter the same podcast in multiple categories if you think that it straddles a few different sectors, but in a change to previous years, you can only enter a maximum of three categories*.  This is to encourage you to really think about what you’re entering, and make the entries and the clips you submit really relevant to that specific category.

Your first entry will be charged £35, and each subsequent entry will be charged £5. 

* Note: you can still enter the free enter categories and Limited Series on top of the max of three entries.

The overall independent podcast of the year category cannot be self-entered, but will instead be chosen by the judges from the winners of all the other genre-based categories.

What We Ask You To Talk About

For each category we want to know the following: How long you’ve been doing the podcast;  Average weekly/monthly listeners;  How your podcast serves the community it is designed for;  What makes it different/stand out from others in this sector; How it shows independent spirit

Our 2026 Categories

Our 2026 categories are listed below. There are also three free categories that you can enter; Best Podcast Artwork, Best Podcast Jingle and Best Video Podcast that you will be able to enter once you've submitted some paid for entries. You'll be sent a link to access these via email. 

The Independent Podcast of the Year category is not self-entered, the winner is chosen from the other winners on the night. 

THE 2026 AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRY - GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!