Nominees Announced for iHeartRadio Podcast Awards

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, October 13, 2021 | 10:36am CT

iHeartMedia has announced the live return of the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards and the 2022 nominees. The Awards ceremony will take place on January 13, 2022 at the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles and will honor the very best in podcasting throughout 2021, celebrating the most innovative talent and content creators in the industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the podcast industry saw a record number of podcasts being created and listened to, continuing to push the industry forward with more than 160 million people having listened to a podcast this year alone.

Each year, podcast fans themselves decide the winner of the coveted Podcast of the Year award by socially voting on Twitter. This year's nominees include "Code Switch," "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend," "Crime Junkie," "Louder Than a Riot," "Office Ladies," "SmartLess," "Stuff You Should Know," "The Daily," "The Midnight Miracle" and "You're Wrong About." Voting will begin December 13 and run through January 2, 2022.

Nominees in other categories include podcasts from all creators, distributors and platforms with a judging panel composed of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries who will determine the winners across categories including entertainment, comedy, crime, news, sports, food, business and more, including two new categories Podcasts to Watch and Best International Podcast.

"We are excited to be back live for year four of the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards to recognize all the amazing content and talent that the podcasting medium has produced this past year," said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia's Digital Audio Group. "Podcast listening has continued to soar across the U.S., seeing a nearly 60% increase in monthly listeners since our first awards show was announced in 2018, filling this industry with more diversity and innovation than ever before. We look forward to honoring these major advancements in-person during the 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards this January."

Since nominees were unable to attend the 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards in person given the limitations on live events during the pandemic, the third annual event went virtual and featured an array of celebrity presenters, guests and nominees recorded from multiple locations. Appearances included Will Ferrell, Hillary Clinton, Laverne Cox, Gwen Stefani, Aaron Mahnke, Questlove, Dan Patrick, Charlamagne Tha God, Roy Wood Jr., and many more, with comedic skits from the ladies of Obama's Other Daughters, made up of Maame-Yaa Aforo, Ashley Holston, Shakira Ja'nai Paye and Yazmin Monet Watkins, hosts of "You Down?" as well as Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, hosts of "Las Culturistas."

Several winners from last year's iHeartRadio Podcast Awards have again gained nominations in their respective categories including "Office Ladies" for Podcast of the Year; "The Read" for Best Comedy Podcast; "Crime Junkie" for Best Crime Podcast; "Pod Save America" for Best News Podcast; "All The Smoke" for Best Sports Podcast; Conan O'Brien for Best Overall Host - Male; Nicole Byer for Best Overall Host - Female; "Pop Culture Happy Hour" for Best Pop Culture Podcast; "Therapy for Black Girls" for Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast; and more.

A complete list of nominees can be found HERE