ParaPod Podcast Awards: 2026 Winners

The fourth annual ParaPod Podcast Awards announces its 2026 winners, with Acid for Squares receiving Podcast of the Year and AJ Gentile of The Why Files earning Best Podcast Host. The awards received more than 900 submissions this year, reflecting the breadth of talent and storytelling across the paranormal podcast community.

As the world’s only paranormal podcast awards, ParaPod celebrates creators exploring unexplained encounters, UFOs and UAPs, ghosts and hauntings, cryptids, spirituality, ancient history, conspiracy, and investigative storytelling. This year’s honorees represent the voices and production teams bringing these subjects to audiences around the world.

2026 Category Winners

Trailer Podcast of the Year: Acid for Squares — Tanya Dahl and Cody Blue Snider

Religion & Spirituality
From: Acid For Squares
Hosted by: Megaphone4.9 ★

Best Podcast Host: AJ Gentile — The Why Files

Society & Culture
From: The Why Files: Operation Podcast
Hosted by: Megaphone4.8 ★

Trailer Best UFO and UAP Podcast: Somewhere in the Skies — Ryan Sprague

Science
From: SpectreVision Radio
Hosted by: Megaphone4.6 ★

Best Ghost and Haunting Podcast: Paranormalish — JoJo Wright

Society & Culture
From: 102.7 KIIS FM
Hosted by: Omny Studio4.7 ★

Trailer Best Metaphysical and Spiritual Podcast: Acid for Squares — Tanya Dahl and Cody Blue Snider

Religion & Spirituality
From: Acid For Squares
Hosted by: Megaphone4.9 ★

Best Cryptid Podcast: Bigfoot and Beyond with Cliff and Bobo — Cliff Barackman and James “Bobo” Fay

Science
From: Bigfoot and Beyond LLC
Hosted by: Spreaker4.8 ★

Best Archaeology and Ancient History Podcast: Fall of Civilizations — Paul Cooper

History
From: Fall of Civilizations Podcast
Hosted by: Megaphone4.9 ★

Best Psychic and Medium Podcast: The Psychic and the Doc — Mark Anthony and Dr. Pat Baccili

Religion & Spirituality
From: Mark Anthony & Dr. Pat Baccili
Hosted by: Spreaker

Best True Crime Podcast: Crime Junkie — Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat

True Crime
From: Audiochuck
Hosted by: Simplecast4.7 ★

Trailer Best Investigative Podcast: Uncanny — Danny Robins

Society & Culture
From: BBC Radio 4
Hosted by: BBC4.8 ★

Best Conspiracy Podcast: The Why Files — AJ Gentile

Society & Culture
From: The Why Files: Operation Podcast
Hosted by: Megaphone4.8 ★

Best Newcomer Podcast: The Common Anomaly Podcast — Stuart and Clayton James

Religion & Spirituality
From: Stuart James
Hosted by: RSS.com

The winner of Best Paranormal TV Show will be determined by the end of 2026.

Special Honors

Living Legend Award — George Noory: Recognizing his longstanding contributions to paranormal broadcasting and his role in bringing conversations about the unexplained to a broad audience.

Cosmic Legacy Award — Erich von Däniken: Honoring his legacy of exploring ancient mysteries and encouraging generations of readers and audiences to consider humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Disclosure Leadership Award — Nick Pope: Recognizing his contributions to public discussion and understanding of UFOs, UAPs, and disclosure.

Recognizing the Community Behind the Awards

ParaPod extends its sincere thanks to every creator and team behind this year’s more than 900 submissions. Their dedication, curiosity, and commitment to their audiences continue to expand the possibilities of paranormal podcasting. The awards also recognize the nominees, judges, listeners, and voters whose participation helped make the 2026 program possible.

Founder Tony Sweet and the ParaPod Podcast Awards extend special thanks to this year’s sponsors: Spreaker by iHeartRadio, PodSEO, and Llewellyn Books. Their support helps ParaPod recognize outstanding work and strengthen the community of creators exploring the unexplained.

The above list of podcasts is available as an OPML file for your podcast player