Over 7,500 nominations were cast for a seemingly endless number of podcasts. Each year the magnitude increases and whittling down the nominations becomes an even more grueling task.
This year, like every year, we strive to showcase the best podcasts of the year while also shining a light a diverse group of podcasts, creators, and genres.
Thank you to everyone who cast a nomination. My challenge to every voter: vote for your favorite in any given category. However, if you haven’t heard of another nominated podcast in that category please give it a listen. These podcasts are all deserving of recognition and who knows, maybe you’ll find a new podcast to add to your queue.
Voting is now closed.
Full list of awards and finalists:
Best Overall Podcast
- 1619
- 99% Invisible
- Against The Rules
- Friends at the Table
- Mobituaries
- My Favorite Murder
- Revisionist History
- Running from COPS
- Swindled
- The Daily
- The Dream
- The Penumbra Podcast
- The Secret Room
- Uncover
New Podcast of 2019
- 1619
- An Arm and a Leg
- Badvertising
- Blackout
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Dolly Parton’s America
- Gotham Variety
- Inside Podcasting
- Land of the Giants
- Running from COPS
- Smidgen
- Spectacular Failures
Most Innovative Podcast
- 1619
- 99% Invisible
- ARGonauts
- Dolly Parton’s America
- Ear Hustle
- Encyclopedia Womannica
- Have You Heard George’s Podcast
- Nice Try! Utopian
- The Ballad of Billy Balls
- The Deca Tapes
- The Theatre of Tomorrow
True Crime Podcast
- An Arm and a Leg
- Casefile
- Darknet Diaries
- Disgraceland
- In The Dark
- Let’s Not Meet
- Mob Queens
- Morbidology
- Swindled
- The Clearing
- The Dropout
- The Teacher’s Pet
- Unravel
Sports Podcast
- 30 for 30
- Black Sox
- Effectively Wild
- Fish Nerds
- Gladiator
- HORSE
- Young & Happy
- Men in Blazers
- Only a Game
- Pardon My Take
- Pat McAfee Show 2.0
- Sports? With Katie Nolan
- The Lowe Post
- The Ryen Russillo Podcast
News Podcast
- Intercepted
- Left Right & Center
- Lovett or Leave It
- NPR Politics
- Pantsuit Politics
- Pod Save America
- Sixteen Minutes on the News
- The Daily
- The Morning Toast
- The Rachel Maddow Show
- Today, Explained
- Up First
- Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me
Interview Style Podcast
- Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- Beautiful/Anonymous
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Conversations with Tyler
- Desert Island Discs
- Fresh Air
- Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
- Ignorance Was Bliss
- Jocko Podcast
- Origins
- Radio Drama Revival
- Scam Goddess
- The Bill Simmons Podcast
- The Only One in the Room
- WTF with Marc Maron
History Podcast
- 1619
- American History Tellers
- Behind the Bastards
- Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
- Historical AF Podcast
- History Chicks
- Revolutions
- Rough Translation
- Sawbones
- Stuff You Missed In History Class
- The Dollop
- The Constant
- The Story Behind
Comedy Podcast
- All Fantasy Everything
- Badvertising
- Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast
- Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You
- ILLUSIONOID
- Last Podcast on the Left
- My Brother My Brother & Me
- My Favorite Murder
- Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone
- Sex Talk with My Mom
- This Might Get Weird
- Why Won’t You Date Me?
Kids & Family Podcast
- 10 Things That Scare Me
- Autonomic
- Brains On
- Chompers
- Flyest Fables
- Mirths & Monsters
- Noodle Loaf
- Smash Boom Best
- Something You Should Know
- Song Salad
- Story Pirates
- Story Time — Children’s bedtime stories for kids
- The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
- Varmints!
Society & Culture Podcast
- Benjamin Walker’s Theory of Everything
- Ear Hustle
- Have You Heard George’s Podcast
- It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
- NB: My non-binary life
- Nice Try! Utopian
- Not Another D&D Podcast
- Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Solo Travel Talk
- The Big One
- The Dream
- Unmapped
TV & Movies Podcast
- Bachelor Party
- Back Row: Movie News
- Binge Mode
- Epic Film Guys
- How Did This Get Made
- My Neighbors Are Dead
- Office Ladies
- Pizza Party Podcast
- Podcast Like it’s 1999
- The Rewatchables
- We Hate Movies
- West Wing Weekly
Technology & Science Podcast
- a16z
- Curiosity Daily
- Hackable?
- Hidden Brain
- Ologies
- Radiolab
- Recode Decode
- Reply All
- Science Rules
- Science Vs
- Star Talk
- The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe
- This Podcast Will Kill You
Audio Drama or Fiction Podcast
- Blackout
- CARAVAN
- Cryptids
- Girl in Space
- Limetown
- Mission to Zyxx
- Passenger List
- The Magnus Archives
- The NoSleep Podcast
- The Truth: The Body Genius
- The White Vault
- Unwell
- Wolf 359
Business Podcast
- Akimbo from Seth Godin
- Business Wars
- Econ Talk
- Exponent
- How I Built This
- Land of the Giants
- Marketplace
- Masters of Scale
- Planet Money
- Robinhood Snacks
- Slate Money
- Spectacular Failures
- The Business
Arts Podcast
- Accession
- Art Sistory
- Bon Appetit Foodcast
- Culture Gabfest
- Oh No! Lit Class
- How to Love Lit Podcast
- Potterless
- Smidgen
- Spicy Eyes
- The Lonely Palette
- Waypoint Radio
Health & Fitness Podcast
- Disability After Dark
- Everyday Ayurveda and Yoga
- FitFizz
- Get Fit Guy
- Hate to Weight
- Mind Love
- Sex with Emily
- The Better Show
- The Health Code
Music Podcast
- Broken Record
- Dissect
- Dolly Parton’s America
- Earfloss
- Hit Parade
- Lost Notes
- POPS! The Louis Armstrong Story
- Producing the Beatles
- Song Exploder
- Switched on Pop
- The Open Ears Project
People’s Choice
- And That’s Why We Drink
- Cover to Cover
- Crime in Sports
- Dark Poutine
- Drinking and Screaming
- Fantasy Footballers
- Gay Future
- Graveyard Tales
- Seek the Joy
- Those Conspiracy Guys
Note: we decided to remove the awards for individual podcasts and for government podcasts because we didn’t think the interest or nominations warranted it.