SOUND. WAVES. launches in Adare with early‑bird passes and the inaugural All‑Ireland Podcast Awards now open for entries

SOUND. WAVES. a new two-day summit at the intersection of content, creativity, and commerce, will make its debut in Adare on November 12–13, 2025. This premier event is designed to explore how audience-first content is created, monetised, and scaled across podcasting, sports, and music. Early-bird passes are on sale now via www.soundwaves.ie.

At the conclusion of the summit, the inaugural All-Ireland Podcast Awards will also take place on Thursday, 13 November in Adare. The Awards will recognise standout podcasts across the 32 counties, with Dylan Haskins — Commissioner, Podcasts at BBC Sounds — serving as Head Judge.

The All-Ireland Podcast Awards has been established with the primary aim of celebrating the vibrant Irish podcasting industry and spotlighting the nation’s most talented creators. The awards will honour the best podcasts across eight broad categories.

Judging will be independent with published criteria for each category and a transparent process designed to be robust and fair. The All-Ireland Podcast Awards have no affiliation to any previous podcast awards in Ireland.

Entries for the All-Ireland Podcast Awards are now open and to make the inaugural awards as inclusive as possible, entry is free. The submission period closes on Tuesday, 16th September 2025, at 5pm. Eligible shows with a clear connection to Ireland can submit up to 15 minutes of audio, accompanied by a short synopsis, via the Awards page; Irish-language entries are also welcome. Full rules and the submission form are on the website.

A spokesperson for the organisers said, “SOUND. WAVES. is about the craft and the business — how great ideas travel from studio to audience and back again. We’re starting as we mean to go on: smart conversations, practical takeaways and a celebration that puts creators first.”The podcast industry has grown rapidly in Ireland over the past ten years, with a really diverse mix of shows from independent creators, commercial and public service publishers. While awards by their nature involve competition, the All-Ireland Podcast Awards are really about bringing the industry together each year to celebrate and recognise the excellent work happening nationally and internationally from Irish-associated producers and hosts,” said Dylan Haskins, Head Judge.