Ukraine: Winners of the Slushno Awards 2024 Revealed

The winners of the prestigious Slushno Awards, an annual celebration of excellence in Ukrainian podcasting, were announced on October 2nd in Kyiv. Established and organized by MEGOGO mediaservice, the fourth edition of the awards has grown into one of the most anticipated events in Ukraine’s podcasting community, gathering 183 nominees and 72 podcasts across a diverse range of categories.

The Slushno Awards have quickly become a defining cultural moment for Ukrainian audio creators during the full scale invasion, recognizing the country’s most influential podcasters. This year’s ceremony not only celebrated the best in podcasting but also highlighted high demand of the audio content due to electricity outages in the country, the rapid growth, and evolution of the industry in Ukraine.

Awarding the Best

The selection process involved a combination of public voting and expert jury evaluation, with each contributing 50% to the final results. Over 17,000 votes were cast by podcast listeners, reflecting growing public engagement with the medium. The jury consisted of 20 professionals from a wide array of fields.

«The Slushno Award is not only about recognizing the best but also about developing the podcast community, which is becoming an important part of the media landscape in Ukraine. Every year, the MEGOGO team invests significant resources into promoting podcasts in Ukraine, as well as actively engaging partners and media to support the industry. This year, in addition to traditional promotion tools, we placed ads for the winning podcasts on the largest screen in Europe, located in the center of Kyiv at the Gulliver Mall. In this way, we want to highlight their importance and attract an even larger audience», said Valeriia Tolochyna, Global Chief Marketing Officer of MEGOGO.

2024 Slushno Award Winners:

• Best Podcast on Health and Self-Development — Ne maly divky klopotu
• Best Podcast on Science and Technology — Bude tobi nauka
• Best Sports Podcast — F1Podcast
• Best Independent Podcast — chumaky®
• Best Business Podcast — Ne pid zapys
• Best Entertainment Podcast — Finansova terapija
• Best Podcast on Literature and Reading — Vysoka polytsia
• Best Culture & Arts Podcast — Unzip
• Best History Podcast — Unzip
• Best Podcast on Professions — Na rivni
• Best Interview Podcast — The Blue Eyed Podcast
• Best Information Podcast — Rankove dopio

The Grand Prix Award was given to Perefarbovanyi Lys, a podcast that has captivated listeners with its creative storytelling. The winners received 45,000 UAH from MEGOGO to support the development of the podcast. The company Bolt, a partner of the Award, added an extra surprise by gifting the Perefarbovanyi Lys creators a year of free taxi rides.

New Grants Boost Support for Podcasters

This year, Goethe-Institut Ukraine and MacPaw Space also supported two categories by providing 1,000-euro grants:

• Best Culture & Arts Podcast: Unzip
• Best Podcast on Science & Technology: Bude tobi nauka

The category for Health, Relationships, and Self-Development attracted the most entries this year with 41 podcasts competing, indicating a significant trend toward content focused on personal growth. On the other hand, the Sports Podcast category was the least competitive, with 10 submissions, signaling potential room for growth in sports audio content.

The Growth of Ukrainian Podcasting

The 2024 awards reflect the growing maturity of Ukraine’s podcast industry. With a record number of public votes and increasingly competitive categories, the podcasting landscape is diversifying, while also attracting greater attention from businesses and media outlets.

About the Slushno Awards:

The Slushno Awards were established in 2021 by MEGOGO as a platform to honor Ukraine’s most innovative and influential podcasters. The awards aim to stimulate growth in the industry, foster a professional podcasting community, and provide a stage for Ukrainian creators to gain recognition. Over the years of its existence, a total of 502 podcasts have been nominated, highlighting the diversity and creativity within the field. Since its inception, the event has played a crucial role in supporting the local podcast industry, encouraging the development of new voices and content. With the continued expansion of podcasting in Ukraine, the Slushno Awards are now more important than ever in recognizing and nurturing the talent shaping the future of audio storytelling in the country.

About MEGOGO

MEGOGO is an international streaming platform, and a leader in the OTT platforms in Ukraine, operating across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Also, a significant part of its catalog is available worldwide (except for Russia and the Republic of Belarus). Since 2019, the service has actively developed its audio segment, which now includes thousands of podcasts, audiobooks, and radio shows.