The International Women’s Podcast Awards 2023 – The Winners

Last night, the winners of the third annual International Women’s Podcast Awards were announced at a ceremony in London. Created by Naomi Mellor, the IWPAs are now presented by Naomi’s company Everybody Media, but continue to champion the work of women and diverse genders in podcasting.

This year was a real testament to the ‘international’ aspect of the awards: entries were received from 27 countries and people were attending from France, New York, China and more. The shortlists reflected this, with more international shows – and the USA in particular – picking up awards and nominations. On the one hand, it seems a shame to me that less British shows are being highlighted compared to previous years. But I think it’s also important to note that the UK-based awards are attracting such attention. It has long been said that the US is ahead of the UK when it comes to podcasting, and this is a sign that we are catching up.

Another sign of the success of the IWPAs is that this year saw nominations and winners from large production companies and media, including iHeart Podcasts, BBC, Wondery and The Telegraph.

We also saw successes from some shows made by independent production companies –  Peanut & Crumb’s Get Birding continues to collect awards with it’s third series. Some individuals and small teams also made an appearance, including the UK-based Single Sounds, as well as Celebrity Catch-up and Bitter/Sweet, both of which we’ve featured in the Pod Bible magazine and on the website.

The third International Women’s Podcast Awards event was another evening of great atmosphere, supportive podcasters and celebrations. Well done to all the winners and nominees, and well done to Everybody Media for a lovely evening.

The Winners

Here are the list of winners and runner-up podcasts for the International Women’s Podcast Awards 2023. All quotes are taken from the description of the categories on the Everybody Media media

Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance

“…audio that showcases the writers, producers, editors and podcast professionals out there.”

Winner – Spygate

Runner-up – Freeway Phantom

Moment of Comedy Gold

“Make us laugh. That is all.”

Winner – Sanctum Unmasked

Runner-up – Single Sounds

Moment of Compelling Storytelling

“…so much of what we love about podcasting is woven around our love of hearing and telling stories.”

Winner – Unreformed: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children

Runner-up – Discovery: In Search of Stardust

Moment of Dramatic Tension

“Dramatic tension can be leaving your listener on a cliffhanger, or it can be subtle and carefully built.”

Winner – How To Become a Dictator

Runner-up – British Scandal

Moment of Entrepreneurial Inspiration

“This category is for moments from the world of business, startups and entrepreneurship.” 

Winner – The Black Kitchen Series: Innovators

Runner-up – Modern Persian Food

Moment of Insight From a Role Model

“the moment from your podcast that you’d choose to play to a class full of young people.“

Winner – Feminist Files

Runner-up – Threshold

Runner-up: Celebrity Catch-up: Life After That Thing I Did

Moment of Podcasting Panache in a Language Other Than English

“We’re opening a category for podcasts in languages other than English.”

Winner – Costa Nostra

Runner-up – Réparations

Moment of Raw Emotion

“We’re after incredible audio moments of emotion reflecting the human experience of emotion”

Winner – Linda Marigliano’s Tough Love

Runner-up – 2 Lives

Runner-up – Nobody should believe me

Moment of Touching Honesty

“This category is for those intimate, touching audio moments of searing truth”

Winner – Get Birding

Runner-up – Bitter/Sweet

Moment of Visionary Leadership

“We want to hear about the women and folk of diverse genders on your podcast who’ve shown outstanding leadership and shared their secrets about it.”

Winner –  The Ten News

Runner-up – The Negotiators

Award For Changing The World One Moment At A Time

“We believe that podcasts have the power to create change in the world”

Winner – The TMI Project Story Hour

Runner-up – Wander