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Pivot, HBO’s Succession Podcast, 70 over 70, All the Smoke, Fiasco, Billie Was a Black Women, Conan O’Brien, Masters of Scale, Pod Save America, Jon Stewart, The MLK Tapes, Jalen Rose Renaissance Man and The Sesame Street Podcast among Finalists for Inaugural Signal Awards.
Finalists for the world’s best Podcasts announced; voting for Listener’s Choice Kicks off Today at SignalAward.com
In its inaugural year, the Signal Awards received nearly 1,700 entries establishing itself as one of the largest podcast competitions in the industry to date.
Voting for Listeners Choice Kicks Off Today at: www.SignalAwards.com
NEW YORK, December 6, 2022 – Signal Awards – celebrating the world’s best Podcasts – announced Finalists for its inaugural honors today which include: All the Smoke, Pod Save America, The Sesame Street Podcast, Pivot, Deep Mind, Masters of Scale, Add To Cart, The Cyprus Paper’s Undercover, In the Bubble, Chasing Ghislaine, Vergecast, and 70 Over 70 as well as some of the world’s most influential, entertaining and informative voices including, Jon Stewart, Stacey Abrahams, Damon John, Eva Longoria, J.J. Abrams, Issa Rae, Jalen Rose, Viola Davis, Method Man, Laverne Cox, Reid Hoffman, Kara Swisher, and Trevor Noah and Soledad O’Brien.
All Finalists are eligible to win what Signal organizers believe will become two of the industry’s most prestigious awards: Signal Award, selected by the Signal Academy, and The Signal Listener’s Choice Award, voted on by the Podcast community around the world at http://www.signalaward.com. Voting for The Signal Listener’s Choice is open now until Thursday, December 22, at 11:59 pm PT.
“We created Signal Awards to celebrate and discover great works being done in the podcast space and the overwhelming response so far has affirmed our decision,” said managing director Deondric Royster. “Our show’s commitment to all things podcasting will ensure the best programming and content is celebrated and rightfully rewarded.”
Signal Award Finalists were selected by the Signal Academy which included Founding Jurors Jody Avirgan (Host, This Day in Esoteric Behavior); Ray Chao (GM of Audio, Vox Media); Rachael King (CEO and Co-Founder, Pod People ; Maya Watson (Head of Global Marketing, Clubhouse); Michael Gluckstadt (Director of Podcasts, HBO & HBO MAX); Anna Hossnieh (Executive Producer, iHeartRadio Comedy); Jenny Kaplan (Co-Founder and CEO, Wonder Media Network); Deray McKesson (Host, Pod Save the People / Co-founder & Executive Chair, Campaign Zero); and Nikki Silva (Co-Host, The Kitchen Sisters Present from PRX).
Podcast submissions far exceeded organizers expectations with domestic entries coming in from twenty-five states and global entries from four different continents. With nearly 1700 entries received in its first year, Signal Awards is already one of the largest honors for Podcasts in the world. Organizers also noted the diversity of companies creating and entering great Podcasts, including global media heavyweights like Apple, HBO Max, National Geographic, Netflix and Paramount to pioneering companies Pineapple Street, Vox Media Podcast Network, Tenderfoot TV, Lemonada, Crooked Media, WaitWhat and Cadence 13.
True Crime continues to be a popular genre in Podcasting – the mix of storytelling, sound design and investigative journalism has proven to be an innovative format that is popular with listeners. Signal Finalists for Limited Series and Specials in this category include Audible’s Death by Unknown Event, two shows from Campside Media: Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen and Run Bambi Run, Dateline NBC’s The Thing about Helen and Olga and Al Jazeera’s All the Prime Minister’s Men
Reflecting the medium’s reputation for being informal and authentic, seven shows were selected as finalists for Best Buddy Podcast including: Kasich & Klepper, Recovery Rocks Podcast, Violating Community Guidelines, SexTok with Zibby and Tracey, Kat and Moose Podcast, F**kface and Friday Night Movie Podcast.
Hosting continues to be a critical part of the Podcasting industry, with more and more notable voices taking to the medium every day. The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie Mattel, Pivot, Insecuritea, Politically Re-Active, We can do hard things with Glennon Doyle and Back Issue were all recognized as Finalists for Shows in the Best Co-Hosts category.
Listener’s Choice voting for Signal Awards ends on December 22nd, 11:59PM ET and Winners for the Inaugural Signal Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
To vote in the Signal Awards Listeners Choice, please visit www.SignalAwards.com.
About The Signal Awards
A new, comprehensive award initiative for podcasts, the inaugural Signal Awards will recognize the breadth of Podcast and Digital Audio work from around the globe by honoring the organizations, brands and professionals creating and shaping the industry. The hope is that by honoring and championing this work, The Signal Awards can help set a standard of excellence and play a significant role in supporting the future of the podcast industry.
Find The Signal Awards Online:
Website: signalaward.com
Facebook: facebook.com/signalawards
Twitter: twitter.com/signalawards
Instagram: instagram.com/signalawards
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/signal-awards
TikTok: tiktok.com/@signalawards
Inaugural Signal Awards Finalist Highlights
Best Guest – Individual Episode
– Skip Intro – Viola Davis – Netflix
– Dead Eyes – Episode 31: Tom – Headgum
– The Official Winning Time Podcast – HBO Max
– Turn crisis into art: Choreographer Bill T. Jones – WaitWhat
Arts & Culture – Individual Episode
– Mission Muralismo Audio Zine – SFMOMA
– Stuff The British Stole – ABC / CBC
– Trust your instinct: Salsa legend Rubén Blades on the iconic song “Pedro Navaja” – WaitWhat
Best Conversation Starter – Individual Episode
– Access & Opportunity | Building Black Generational Wealth- Morgan Stanley
– Curiosity Daily, Episode 7: Sex! And COVID, The Biggest Comet Ever, Wave of The Future – Discovery, Inc.
– Great collabs start with trust: Apollo Theater’s Kamilah Forbes on “Between the World and Me”- WaitWhat
– One Decision Podcast-Lithuania and the two Goliaths- Global Situation Room
– What Happens Next?: The Psychedelic Renaissance- Monash University
Interview or Talk Show – Individual Episode
– Skip Intro- Netflix
– T-Bone Schmid – Des Moines’ Most Likeable Man- Hot SEWP Video Kitchen
– Jalen Rose talks with Magic Johnson on mentorship, business and his rise to the top -New York Post
– Dishing on Julia, the Official Julia Companion Podcast- HBO Max
– Dreaming w/ Darryl McDaniels- The WNET Group
S3E3 Truth, Comedy and Creative Freedom- Survival Dad YT
Inaugural Signal Awards Finalist Highlights
Best Guest – Individual Episode
– Skip Intro – Viola Davis – Netflix
– Dead Eyes – Episode 31: Tom – Headgum
– The Official Winning Time Podcast – HBO Max
– Turn crisis into art: Choreographer Bill T. Jones – WaitWhat
Arts & Culture – Individual Episode
– Mission Muralismo Audio Zine – SFMOMA
– Stuff The British Stole – ABC / CBC
– Trust your instinct: Salsa legend Rubén Blades on the iconic song “Pedro Navaja” – WaitWhat
Best Conversation Starter – Individual Episode
– Access & Opportunity | Building Black Generational Wealth- Morgan Stanley
– Curiosity Daily, Episode 7: Sex! And COVID, The Biggest Comet Ever, Wave of The Future – Discovery, Inc.
– Great collabs start with trust: Apollo Theater’s Kamilah Forbes on “Between the World and Me”- WaitWhat
– One Decision Podcast-Lithuania and the two Goliaths- Global Situation Room
– What Happens Next?: The Psychedelic Renaissance- Monash University
Interview or Talk Show – Individual Episode
– Skip Intro- Netflix
– T-Bone Schmid – Des Moines’ Most Likeable Man- Hot SEWP Video Kitchen
– Jalen Rose talks with Magic Johnson on mentorship, business and his rise to the top -New York Post
– Dishing on Julia, the Official Julia Companion Podcast- HBO Max
– Dreaming w/ Darryl McDaniels- The WNET Group
S3E3 Truth, Comedy and Creative Freedom- Survival Dad YT
Sports – Individual Episode
– All the Smoke – Paramount
– Attacking Third – Paramount
– Torched: Greg Louganis’ Infamous Dive – FilmNation Entertainment
Best Writing – Limited Series & Specials
– Mother Country Radicals, an original podcast from Crooked Media and Audacy. – Crooked Media
– To Live and Die in LA – Tenderfoot TV
– The Miranda Obsession – AUDIBLE
– Suspect – Campside Media
– Toxic: The Britney Spears Story – Stitcher
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Limited Series & Specials
– Growing Up P.O.C.- AUDIBLE
– Punk In Translation – AUDIBLE
– Going for Broke with Ray Suarez – Economic Hardship Reporting Project, co-published by The Nation Economic Hardship Reporting Project
– History is US – Cadence13
– Saga: a Podcast about the AWARE Saga – AWARE
Best Original Score or Music – Limited Series & Specials
– Brooklyn Santa- JDC Films
– The Miranda Obsessio – AUDIBLE
– Witnessed: Borderlands – Campside Media
– Finding Q: My Journey into QAnon – Tortoise Media
Best Hosts – Shows
– The Problem with Jon Stewart – Apple Worldwide Video
– Dark History – align Public Relations
– About A Girl – Double Elvis
– A Heavy Weight – A Heavy Weight
– Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis – AUDIBLE
– Conan O’Brien / Team Coco Network – SXM Media
– Changing Course: Students Take Their Seat at the Table – Teach For America’s One Day Studio
Best Conversation Starter – Shows
– Best Friends Back, Alright! – Mythical
– Last Day – Lemonada Media
– Masters of Scale – WaitWhat
– The Lost Debate – Lost Debate
– SUPERHUMANS – Well Played
– Dead Honest – Dead Honest