The Podfluencer Community opens its stage to the world: new International Award for independent podcasters

The Podfluencer Community, home of the Podfluencer Festival and the Podfluencer Awards, is adding a new category in 2026: the International Award. For the first time in the four years of the awards, podcasters from outside the German-speaking world can apply.

Most podcast awards in Europe stop at a national or language border. The International Award removes that limit. Any independent podcaster who produces in English can submit a show, no matter where they are based or what they talk about. True Crime, Business, Education and everything in between are welcome. The only requirement is that the podcast is produced in English and produced independently.

“Independent podcasters around the world get no real stage when you compare them to the very big industry events. Our drive is to give exactly these people a stage, because they deserve to be heard and recognised,” say Michael Czesun and Giovanni Pellegrino, co-founders of the Podfluencer Festival.

No application fee, judged by an independent jury

There is no application fee. Podcasters submit their show through a short form on the Podfluencer Community website. All submissions are reviewed and assessed by an independent international jury. The jury members will be announced at a later date.

The award goes to the podcast and its hosts. Attending the festival in Munich is not required in order to win, although the founders are hoping to celebrate with as many nominees as possible in person.

Timeline

• July 15, 2026: submissions open
• August 15, 2026: submission deadline
• From August 16, 2026: the international jury reviews all submitted podcasts
• By end of September 2026: nominees are announced
• October 24, 2026: the winner is announced live at the Podfluencer Festival in Munich

What the founders are looking for

“What I am hoping for is to come across brilliant English-speaking podcasts from all over the world that widen our own podcast horizon. There are so many great shows out there, and we only have a small fraction of them on our radar,” says Giovanni Pellegrino.

How long a show has been running does not matter. The category is open to newcomers and to established independent creators alike. If you produce your podcast independently and broadcast in English, you can apply.

“Beyond the award itself, I want the winner to take home great podcast conversations with people from the German-speaking podcast scene,” says Czesun.

About The Podfluencer Community

The Podfluencer Community started in 2022 as a home for independent podcasters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It grew into the Podfluencer Festival, a two-day event with workshops, live podcast recordings, talks and networking, and into the Podfluencer Awards, which celebrate the best independent shows in the scene.

The Podfluencer Festival 2026 takes place on October 23 and 24, 2026 at Feierwerk Funkstation in Munich. The Podfluencer Awards 2026, including the International Award, will be presented on the evening of October 24 in front of the entire community.

About the founders

Michael Czesun, co-founder of the Podfluencer Festival, is a tech nerd from Austria. For him there are no technical obstacles to building a project. He makes it happen.

Giovanni Pellegrino, co-founder of the Podfluencer Festival, is an Italian who fell in love with the German-speaking podcast scene.

Apply

Applications and full category details: https://diepodfluencer.com/international-award-2026-new-open-to-podcasters-worldwide-die-podfluencer