All The Winners of Second Annual Signal Awards

The Signal Awards, celebrating the world’s best podcasts, today announced the Winners for its second annual honors. Some of the world’s most influential, entertaining and informative voices are taking top prizes, including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Kit Harington, Kevin Hart, Hoda Kotb, Doja Cat, QuestLove, Jill Scott, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ashley Johnson, Jon Stewart, Ed Helms, Snoop Dogg, Björk, Steve Yeun, Kevin Pang and Miranda Keeling. Notable podcasts such as HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast, The Slowdown, Netflix is a Daily Joke, Operation: Tradebom, And That’s Why We Drink, Growing Up Powerful and She’s a 10 Times 5 are also receiving Gold Awards for exceptional work.

“2023 was a huge year for podcasts, as worldwide listenership continued to skyrocket and new trends emerged,” said Signal Awards managing director Deondric Royster. “The winners of the second annual Signal Awards represent the best of the industry: those who are pushing boundaries, telling important stories, encouraging laughter, and reaffirming the overall power of podcasting and its ability to connect to listeners all over the world.”

The first-ever Signal Company of the Year was won by Audible, earning the most honors across all categories. With 32 total wins, Audible received nods for Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, The Sesame Street Podcast, Mandela: The Lost Tapes, Origins, American Football, The Goop Pursuit and more.

During the public voting stage, podcast fans cast over 130,000 votes for the Signal Listener’s Choice award. Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast, Mobituaries with Mo Rocca, Small Town Dicks, Barely Famous, And That’s Why We Drink and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls were among the podcasts receiving the most public votes.

With nearly 2000 entries received in only its second year, Signal Awards is already one of the largest honors for podcasts in the world. Organizers noted the diversity of companies entering great podcasts, including global media heavyweights like Warner Bros. Discovery, ABC News, Audible, SXM Media, WaitWhat, Apple, Netflix, Al Jazeera, iHeart Podcasts and Stitcher Studios to pioneering companies like Paramount Amazon, Vox Media Podcast Network, Tenderfoot TV, Lemonada, Crooked Media and Realm.

Reflecting the medium’s reputation for being informal and authentic, a number of shows were selected as Winners for Best Indie Podcast including Like You: Mindfulness For Kids, Fireside with Blair Hodges, Humans of Purpose, Undiscarded: Stories of New York and Curios Matter Anthology.

Live recorded and video podcasts continue to be popular tools of the industry, with more and more notable voices taking to the medium every day. The Official Game of Thrones Podcast House of the Dragon, Questlove Supreme, Soul & Science Podcast | Shake Shack CMO Jay Livingston and Paul Giamatti’s CHINWAG with Stephen Asma – SO YOU THINK YOU’RE A STARSEED? were all recognized as Winners for shows in the Best Live Podcast Recording category.

Signal Award Winners were selected by the Signal Academy, which included Founding Jurors Jody Avirgan (Host, This Day in Esoteric Behavior); Ray Chao (GM of Audio, Vox Media); Rachael King (CEO and Co-Founder, Pod People; Maya Watson (Head of Global Marketing, Clubhouse); Michael Gluckstadt (Director of Podcasts, HBO & HBO MAX); Anna Hossnieh (Executive Producer, iHeartRadio Comedy); Jenny Kaplan (Co-Founder and CEO, Wonder Media Network); Deray McKesson (Host, Pod Save the People / Co-founder & Executive Chair, Campaign Zero) and Nikki Silva (Co-Host, The Kitchen Sisters Present from PRX).

Signal Awards Winners will be celebrated with a reception at The Bowery NYC on October 23, 2023.

Signal Awards Winner Highlights

Best Daily Podcast – Shows

The Slowdown – APM Studios

Arts
From: American Public Media
Hosted by: American Public Media

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Best Commute Podcast – Shows

• Netflix is a Daily Joke – Netflix
• On Purpose with Jay Shetty – alignPR
• And That’s Why We Drink – Metro Public Relations

Best Experimental Podcast – Shows

• Stopping To Notice with Miranda Keeling – Fresh Air Production

Best Host (Current Events) – Shows

• The Problem with Jon Stewart: The Official Podcast – Apple TV Podcast

Best Indie Podcast – Shows

• Undiscarded: Stories of New York – CitizenRacecar & The City Reliquary
• Curious Matter Anthology – Knightsville Workshop
• Humans of Purpose – Humans of Purpose
• Fireside with Blair Hodges – Fireside
• Like You: Mindfulness for Kids – Perpetual Motion

Popular Culture & Variety – Shows

• Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast

Best Exclusive Content + Experiences – Shows (Listener’s Choice)

• Small Town Dicks – Paperclip Ltd.

Interview or Talk Show – Shows

• Gold Minds with Kevin Hart – Hartbeat
• Most Interesting Person You’ve Never Heard Of Podcast – Corner Booth Media
• Wiser Than Me – Lemonada Media
• Profoundly Pointless – Profoundly Pointless
• Gal on the Go Unplugged – Gal on the Go Unplugged

Comedy – Shows

• Gold Mind with Kevin Hart – Hartbeat

Documentary – Shows

• Teaching Texas – Wonder Media Network
• The Catch - Season 2 – Foreign Policy
• Admissible: Shreds of Evidence – VPM Media Corporation
• Operation: Tradebom – Apple TV Podcast
• DDx: Abortion as Healthcare (a Miniseries) – Figure 1

History – Shows (Listener’s Choice)

• Mobituaries with Mo Rocca – Paramount

Best Hosts – Shows

• Wiser Than Me – Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Lemonada
• BEEF with Bridget Todd – Next Chapter Podcasts
• Dark History host by Bailey Sarain – Audioboom
• Mind of a Monster: Jeffrey Dahmer – Michelle Ward – Warner Bros. Discovery
• Reality with the King – Carlos King – QCODE
• Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris – Wondery

Best Conversation Starter – Shows

• She’s a 10 Times 5 – She’s a 10 Times 5 Podcast
• The Sunday 7 Conversation Starter – Draft Doris
• Do the Pot – How to Do the Pot

True Crime – Shows (Listener’s Choice)

• And That’s Why We Drink – Metro Public Relations

Kids – Shows (Listener’s Choice)

• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls -- Rebel Girls

Best Video Podcast – Branded Shows & Advertising (Listener’s Choice)

• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – Samsung Electronics – SXM Media

Television & Film -- Individual Episode (Listener’s Choice)

• HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast - Episode 3 - “Long, Long Time” – Warner Bros. Discovery

Best Guest – Individual Episode

• Michelle Obama – The Light Podcast: “Barack is My Home” with Oprah Winfrey (Ep. 8) – AUDIBLE
• HBO’s The Last of Us – Ashley Johnson – Warner Bros. Discovery
• On Purpose with Jay Shetty – Tom Holland ON: How to Overcome Social Anxiety & Beneficial Life Lessons You Can
• Questlove Supreme – The Oriel Co.

Best Writing – Individual Episode

• The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman – “Chapter Eight: Thin Lines” – Antica Productions
• MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories Ep. 126 The Barn – Ballen Studios
• Ahead of its Time VR Gloves: Where air guitar meets a Nintendo flop, meets the future of remote surgery – Setapp

Best Guest – Individual Episode

• The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon, “Live from GOT Fan Con with Kit Harington” – Warner Bros. Discovery

Arts & Culture – Individual Episode

• Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón – iHeartPodcasts
• Origins – Tobe Nwigwe – Audible
• Proof - The World’s Greatest Italian Beef – Kevin Pang – America’s Test Kitchen

Lifestyle – Individual Episode

• Biscuits & Jam - Hoda Kotb Is a Southerner – Dotdash Meredith

Best Conversation Starter – Individual Episode

• The California Report Magazine Did Mac Dre Really Go to Prison Because of His Lyrics – KQED
• Beyond 6 Seconds: Dissociative Identity Disorder with Amber Louise Ainsworth – Beyond 6 Seconds

Interview or Talk Show – Individual Episode

• Wish I Knew: Peter Beck – Bessemer Venture Partners
• Skip Intro – Steven Yeun – Netflix
• What the Hack: Jill Schlesinger Hits the Reset Button – Loud Tree Media
• Milk Drunk: The Podcast – Meghan Trainor & Emily Oster: Redefining “Best” Parenting – Bobbie

Music – Individual Episode

• Origins: Doja Cat – AUDIBLE

Interview or Talk Show - Individual Episode (Listener’s Choice)

• Barely Famous Podcast x Kat Stickler - PodcastOne

Most Innovative Audio Experience – Limited Series & Specials

• Björk: Sonic Symbolism – Archetype

Advice & How To – Limited Series & Specials

• Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast – AUDIBLE

Advice & How To – Limited Series & Specials (Listener’s Choice)

• Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast – AUDIBLE

Best Editing – Limited Series & Specials

• Culpable – Tenderfoot TV
• Into America: Street Disciples – MSNBC
• Long Shadow: Rise of the American Far Right – Long Lead
• Heretic in the House – The Shalom Hartman Institute

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Limited Series & Specials

• The Idiom – SBS
• Free From Desire: Asexual in the City of Love – Paradiso Media
• Inside Europe - Women of Europe – Deutsche Welle

History – Limited Series & Specials

• SNAFU with Ed Helms – FilmNation Entertainment, Pacific Electric Picture Company, Gilded Audio, iHeartRadio

Best Original Score or Music – Limited Series & Specials

• Lake Song – Make Believe Association

Best Writing – Limited Series & Specials

• Growing Up Powerful – Rebel Girls
• CAN YOU DIG IT? – A HIP HOP ORIGIN STORY – PB & J Productions (Audible)
• SNAFU with Ed Helms – FilmNation Entertainment
• Into America: Street Disciples – MSNBC Into America Podcast
• High Strange – Tenderfoot TV

Music – Limited Series & Specials

• Snoop Dogg W+M – AUDIBLE

Podnews has added links to all the above shows. We’re unable to link to Audible exclusives.

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