NYC Web Fest Now Accepting Podcasts for 2025 Festival

NYC Web Fest (NYCWF), the city’s first web series festival, is proud to announce the inclusion of podcasts as an official category in its 12th annual celebration of indie storytelling. This year’s festival will take place October 3–5, 2025 in New York City, with submissions open now through July 31st via NYCWebFest.com.

Founded in 2014, NYC Web Fest was the first festival in New York to champion web series. Over the years, the fest has grown to include TV pilots, short films, and micro-episodes. With the rise of narrative and nonfiction podcasting, the festival now expands again — this time embracing audio storytelling.

“We launched NYC Web Fest to shine a light on the creativity we saw exploding online. Now, with the evolution of digital storytelling, it’s only natural we open the door to podcasters too,” said NYCWF Founder Lauren Atkins. “Web series were once considered fringe — now they’re launching careers. The same is happening with podcasts.”

Programming Team Returns for 2025

The 2025 programming team brings both continuity and expertise to this year’s selections. Zerelda Nothnagel returns as VP of Programming, and former Program Director Lindsay Pugh rejoins as Programming Consultant.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Lindsay and Zerelda again,” said Atkins. “The three of us worked together in 2020 when the festival was virtual, and I truly value their insight and experience. I’m grateful to have such talent leading the programming team for 2025.”

New Partnerships Supporting Creators

NYCWF is also proud to announce new partnerships this year aimed at supporting creators beyond the festival:

Blue Foxes, a global media group formerly known as Jellysmack Originals, will award a $1,000 grant to a selected podcast winner to develop a video podcast series in collaboration with their production team.

“At Blue Foxes, we believe every story deserves to be better told. Empowering creators lies at the heart of our mission,” said Paula Layoun, co-CEO and co-founder of Blue Foxes, who will also serve on this year’s NYCWF jury.

Aux Mode, a leading digital media services company, will offer a complimentary YouTube Strategy Session and Channel Optimization consultation to one content creator selected by the NYCWF team. Aux Mode specializes in channel growth, content rights management, and global distribution across streaming platforms.

2025 Jury Members

This year’s jury panel reflects a diverse range of talent across film, television, digital content, and media. They are:

• Andrea Lewis, actor, producer, and creator of the award-winning web series Black Actress and executive producer of The Black Beauty Effect on Netflix. Known for her work on Degrassi: The Next Generation and Hulu’s How to Die Alone.
• Todd A. Jackson, filmmaker and co-founder of QuickFlick TV, a new streaming platform dedicated to independent web series.
• Joanna Pickering, award-winning playwright and actress, member of The Actors Studio and frequent contributor to UN creative initiatives.
• Charlii Sebunya, journalist, director, and executive producer at ADDY.media, a global leader in exclusive digital content and brand visibility.
• Bethany Watson, showrunner and former radio personality (Z100’s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show), now known for The Trouble with Tessa on Screambox.
• Paula Layoun, co-CEO of Blue Foxes, previously with Jellysmack Originals, shaping content for global creators.

Submissions for all categories — web series, short films, TV pilots, and now podcasts — are open through July 31st at NYCWebFest.com.