Recognition will be given to women in podcasting, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences.
The International Women’s Podcast Awards will be hosted at the Allbright in London by presenter, author and journalist Vick Hope of BBC Radio 1, whose own podcast, Songs To Live By, launched in March 2021, and the event will be supported by Captivate.
The founder of The Skylark Collective, Naomi Mellor, herself a podcaster and champion of the interests of women in the world of podcasting, has launched this global event to raise the profile of female podcasters and honour their work.
Naomi Mellor, founder of the International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “I am so excited to be announcing the launch of entries to the International Women’s Podcast Awards. The opportunity for women from all over the world to showcase their work is a central pillar of our values at the Skylark Collective, and the judging panel are looking forward to hearing the entries in due course. Allbright is the perfect venue for the event to be held, and their mission of inspiring change aligns beautifully with ours.”
Vick Hope said: “I feel honoured to be presenting The International Women’s Podcast Awards on 23rd September. In a year like no other, podcasts have become such a special and vital part of people’s everyday wellbeing and have helped us stay connected, informed and entertained. You never feel alone with a good podcast, whether you're listening at home or on the move. I’m excited that I get to be a part of these awards and look forward to meeting these inspirational women who have dedicated their time to make brilliant podcasts for all audiences to enjoy.”
Podcasts are the fastest growing form of media, and the global podcast market is predicted to grow at 27% year-on-year for the next 5 years, with an anticipated market value of $USD 60 billion by 2027, compared to $USD 11 billion in 2020. But last year, says the Skylark Collective, only 1 of the top 10 grossing podcasts worldwide was hosted by a woman, and latest figures estimate that less than a third of the top 500 podcasts have at least one woman at the helm.
The International Women’s Podcast Awards aims to help level the playing field for women, by rewarding and elevating the unsung podcast hosts, editors, producers and writers out there whose work deserves recognition.
The joy of podcasting lies in its intimacy, say the organisers, in the atmosphere created between the host, guest and listener, and in the moments of incredible sensitivity, humour or honesty that keep people engrossed.
The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate these intimate moments of podcasting brilliance, and the women that make them happen. It doesn’t matter if they’ve had 100 downloads or 100 million, the awards are open to everyone in podcasting that identifies as a womxn or non-binary. If they’ve captured a delicious piece of audio that sums up them, their guest or their audience to perfection, then we believe they deserve honouring with an award, says the Skylark Collective.
Nominations are now open and will be accepted in eight categories of wonderful ‘Moments’, which are:
- Moment of Comedy Gold
- Moment of Raw Emotion
- Moment of Cliffhanging Drama
- Moment of Touching Honesty
- Moment of Entrepreneurship Inspiration
- Moment of Badass Business Advice
- Award for Changing The World One Moment At A Time
- Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance
The awards ceremony will be held at Allbright, Mayfair on Thursday 23rd September.
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
