Over 9,000 nominations were cast for over an absurdly high number of different podcasts.

The fourth annual awards indeed exponentially increased in magnitude and subsequently narrowing down the finalists was an even more grueling task. Each year the magnitude increases and whittling down the nominations becomes an even more grueling task. For those of you refreshing your browser on October 19th expecting to see the finalists, thank you for your patience.

This year, like every year, we aim to showcase the best podcasts of the year while also shining a light a diverse group of podcasts, creators, and genres. We think with the added criteria including specific categories to award women- and POC-hosted podcasts along with awards for LGBTQ+ culture and non-English podcasts we hope to continue pushing this goal.

Thank you to everyone who cast a nomination. My challenge to every voter: vote for your favorite in any given category (note: all categories are optional). 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.

A few housekeeping notes

  • We decided to remove the individual episode award, it became unruly to navigate the nominations
  • Voting is open until November 6th

Full list of awards and finalists:

Best Overall Podcast

  • Above & Beyond: Group Therapy
  • And That’s Why We Drink
  • Armchair Explorer
  • Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
  • Decoder Ring
  • Friends at the Table
  • Reply All
  • The Amelia Project
  • The Cut
  • The NewsWorthy
  • The Rewatchables
  • Underunderstood

New Podcast of 2020

  • Brimstone Valley Mall
  • Fake Doctors, Real Friends
  • In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt
  • Know A Little More
  • Nice White Parents
  • Staying In with Emily and Kumail
  • The Last Post
  • The Syndicate

People’s Choice

  • Bite-Sized Broadway Cinematic Sound Radio
  • Dadsplaining A Fatherhood Podcast
  • Divorced AF
  • Dizzy for Dizi
  • Drinking And Screaming
  • Entertainment Buffet
  • Ho Yeah! Podcast
  • The Dumb, Found Dead Podcast
  • The Friendship File
  • The Me-Suite
  • The Start Line
  • The UP Podcast
  • The Worst Girl Gang Ever
  • Trace Evidence
  • UNCK!
  • Very Presidential
  • Voices for Justice

Best Podcast Created and/or Hosted by a Woman

  • Dying for Sex
  • Making Space: The Female Frontier
  • Punch Up the Jam
  • Scam Goddess
  • The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles
  • The Cut
  • The NewsWorthy
  • The Slowdown

Best Podcast Created and/or Hosted by a POC

  • 70 Million
  • Bruh Issa Murder
  • Code Switch
  • Friends at the Table
  • Harlem Queen
  • In the Thick
  • Mija
  • MK on the Mic
  • Mommying While Muslim
  • Nostalgique
  • Snap Judgement
  • The Benjamin Dixon Show
  • Three Black Halflings

Best Non-English Podcast

  • Dos: After You
  • Las Raras
  • Mija
  • Radio Ambulante
  • Recetario sonorio de ingredientes en peligro
  • Storia D’Italia
  • Venezuela: Crisis y Esperanza
  • Viajes inmóviles
  • Wag Kang Lilingon

True Crime Podcast

  • Criminal
  • Floodlines
  • Housewives of True Crime
  • Morbidology
  • Nice White Parents
  • Real Life Real Crime
  • Reveal: American Rehab
  • Slow Burn
  • Somebody
  • Swindled
  • The Syndicate
  • True Crime South Africa

Sports Podcast

  • 30 for 30
  • HORSE
  • Pardon My Take
  • Sports? With Katie Nolan
  • The Art of Wrestling
  • The Bill Simmons Podcast
  • The Cam Chronicles
  • The Lowe Post
  • The Pat McAfee Show 2.0

News Podcast

  • Pantsuit Politics
  • Pod Save America
  • Podnews
  • The Bugle
  • The Daily
  • Today, Explained
  • Up First
  • What a Day

Interview Style Podcast

  • Armchair Expert
  • Beautiful / Anonymous
  • Behind The Bits
  • Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
  • Ignorance Was Bliss
  • Mixergy
  • Pray for Us
  • The Benjamin Dixon Show
  • The Ezra Klein Show
  • Why is This Happening?
  • WTF with Marc Maron

LGBTQ+ Culture

  • Beyond the Rainbow
  • Caravan
  • Frigay the 13th
  • Gayish
  • Gender Reveal
  • Hey Gurl with Bill Janisse
  • How’s Your Heart?
  • Queer Science!
  • Queery
  • Sounds Fake But Okay
  • TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones

History Podcast

  • 1619
  • Behind the Bastards
  • Blindspot: The Road to 9/11
  • Cold War Conversations
  • Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
  • History Chicks
  • Meet Your Heroes
  • One Mic: Black History
  • Revisionist History
  • Stuff You Missed in History Class
  • The Benjamin Dixon Show
  • The Dollop
  • The Missionary
  • Throughline
  • You’re Wrong About

Comedy Podcast

  • All Fantasy Everything
  • Ask Ronna
  • Barmy Dale
  • Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet
  • Beware Of The Leopard
  • Bonanas for Bonanza
  • Hey Riddle Riddle
  • How Did This Get Made
  • Last Podcast on The Left
  • My Favorite Murder
  • Oh, H’llo: The Podcast
  • Or, Learn Parkour
  • We Fix Space Junk

Kids & Family Podcast

  • Best Whatever Ever! Stories for Kids
  • But Why?
  • Dreamful
  • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
  • Julie’s Library
  • Just the Zoo of Us
  • Mirths and Monsters
  • Molly of Denali
  • Story Pirates
  • Timestorm
  • Varmints!
  • Wow in the World

Society & Culture Podcast

  • Articles of Interest
  • Broccoli Content’s Anthems
  • Call Your Girlfriend
  • Dead Eyes
  • Ear Hustle
  • It’s Been a Minute
  • Look to the Cookie
  • No Such Thing As a Fish
  • Overheard, National Geographic
  • Pop Culture Leftovers
  • rePOSTED
  • The Cut
  • The Worst Girl Gang Ever
  • Wind of Change

TV & Movies Podcast

  • Anime Sickos
  • Bitch Sesh
  • CordKillers
  • Entertainment Buffet
  • Fake Doctors Real Friends
  • Movie Retakes
  • Office Ladies
  • Pop Culture Happy Hour
  • Swish & Flick
  • The Connect
  • The Rewatchables
  • The Watch
  • The Wire: Way Down In The Hole

Technology & Science Podcast

  • 13 Minutes to the Moon
  • Curiosity Daily
  • Darknet Diaries
  • Endless Thread
  • Ologies
  • Petri Dish
  • Rabbit Hole
  • Radiolab
  • Reply All
  • Science Vs.
  • Shortwave
  • TWiT
  • Upgrade
  • Vergecast

Audio Drama or Fiction Podcast

  • Arden
  • Borrasca
  • Dreamful
  • Dust
  • Full Body Chills
  • NoSleep
  • Old Gods of Appalachia
  • Scare You to Sleep
  • The Adventure Zone
  • The Amelia Project

Business Podcast

  • Almost Hired
  • Business Wars
  • EV News Daily
  • How I Built This
  • Land of the Giants
  • Me-Suite
  • My First Million
  • Pivot
  • Planet Money
  • Spectacular Failures
  • Sway
  • The Prof. G Show
  • WorkLife with Adam Grant

Arts Podcast

  • Above & Beyond: Group Therapy
  • Art History Babes
  • Cheers to Comics
  • Festival Circuit
  • Geek Ketchup
  • How to Love Lit Podcast
  • LeVar Burton Reads
  • Oh No! Lit Class
  • The Allusionist
  • The Lonely Palette
  • Welcome to LA

Health & Fitness Podcast

  • & Happiness
  • Diet Starts Tomorrow
  • Huntsman World Senior Games Active Life
  • Nutrition Diva
  • Radio Headspace
  • Sober Powered
  • The Start Line Podcast
  • Work for Change
  • You don’t look like a runner

Music Podcast

  • Belonging Songs
  • Billbuds
  • Bite-Sized Broadway
  • Cinematic Sound Radio
  • Desert Island Jams
  • Dissect
  • El Arrabal de la Musica
  • Infectious Groove Podcast
  • Song Exploder
  • Switched on Pop
  • This Is Not A Drake Podcast
  • Walking the Floor
  • We Luvv Rare Grooves

Best Branded Podcast

  • Bring Back Bronco
  • Choiceology with Katy Milkman
  • Field Tripping
  • Hackable?
  • Inside Trader Joes
  • Rise & Grind
  • Spit
  • Tales from the Hill, presented by Heaven Hill Distillery
  • The Distance
  • The Message
  • The Sauce

Best Food-Focused Podcast

  • Citizen Chef with Tom Colicchio
  • Doughboys
  • Gastropod
  • Home Cooking
  • Mike And Tom Eat Snacks! rip.
  • Pod Appetit
  • Table Manners
  • The Sporkful