Categories 2025
The International Women’s Podcast Awards are back for 2025! Entries are now open, and for each entry, you’re able to submit up to 10 minutes of audio to wow the judging panel in any of the following categories.
There’s no restriction on what genre or ‘type’ of podcast can enter each category – as we often say, you don’t have to be a comedy podcast to create a hilarious moment of podcasting gold.
Fiction, non-fiction, narrative, interview, panel discussion, investigative journalism or anything else: all are welcome, and we always look forward to hearing the work submitted.
You’ll see that we haven’t added a load of new categories - we just don’t need to. Ten is the perfect number for us, both in terms of the quality we get in each one, and the number of entries received. Our winners and runners up previously have included one-woman shows, large-scale productions and everything in between.
Whether you’re a self-funded independent show or you’re entering a podcast from.
You can enter more than one category, but entries must be made separately.
Please note before you continue:
We try we keep our entry fees as low as we can to facilitate submissions from as many of you as we can, but we're delighted to say that the IWPA Bursary Fund is open once again this year to facilitate complimentary entry for anyone, anywhere in the world. Full details are here and there's a link to the form you'll need here - you'll be sent a code to use later in this entry form.
Eligibility
As we are an annual awards, the moment you are entering must come from an episode that was released (or is due for release) between May 1st 2024 and June 10th 2025. This keeps it fair and current for everyone. There's more info on this in our FAQs.
Enter now
Please note:
Discounted entries for independent or charity podcast are priced at £30. Please enter the IWPA-2025-DISCOUNT discount code at checkout to reduce the price of the entry from £65 to £30.
If you have an IWPA bursary discount, your entry will be free. Please enter the IWPA bursary discount code at checkout to reduce your entry price to £0.
Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance
Who are the unsung heroes of your podcast? We’re looking for brilliant moments of audio where those people really shone for you – audio that showcases the writers, producers, editors and podcast professionals out there. They may not be the voice that the listener hears, but we know how invaluable their skills are and we love to hear about them.
Moment of Comedy Gold
Make us laugh. That is all. You don’t need to be a comedian to produce a hilarious bit of comedy gold – if you’ve had a moment on your podcast where you cried laughing then let us hear it!
Moment of Compelling Storytelling
So many of you out there are incredible storytellers, and so much of what we love about podcasting is woven around our love of hearing and telling stories. What’s the best story you’ve ever told? We love a story too, and we’d love to hear it.
Moment of Factual Clarity
The Moment of Factual Clarity category is about clear communication of ideas and knowledge. Have you had an expert or subject matter specialist talking about their area of interest and expertise on your show that just blew you away? Have you made a podcast that really informs the listener as well as entertaining them, and is doing so in a brilliantly clear and simple way? If so, this category is for you.
Moment of Insight From a Role Model
Here we’d like to hear the moment from your podcast that you’d choose to play to a class full of young people. Who on your pod have you considered a role model and why? We want to hear their insights, and their pearls of wisdom.
Moment of Podcasting Panache in a Language Other Than English
There is so much talent out there and we’d love to hear what you’ve been putting out into the world. Any genre of podcast can be entered here, as long as the audio isn’t in English – we just want to hear your very best work and the most memorable moments from one of your episodes from the last year.
We will also need an English language transcript alongside the audio that you enter so our judges can read along as they listen to your entry.
Moment of Pure Emotion
According to Brené Brown, there are at least 87 different human emotions out there. We’re after incredible audio moments of emotion reflecting the human experience of emotion, be that joy, curiosity, resilience, fear, empathy, heartbreak or any other – it’s your choice.
Moment of Absolute Honesty
This category is for those intimate, touching audio moments of searing truth, the moment when as a host or producer you knew you’d reached the very heart of an honest discussion. It can be exposing to be so honest. It’s sometimes difficult to let your guard down as a host or to make a guest or contributor feel comfortable enough to do so. We love to reward that bravery.
Moment of Visionary Leadership
We love women who lead, and we want to hear about the folk on your podcast who’ve shown outstanding leadership and shared their secrets about it. They might be a CEO, an entrepreneur, a sporting icon, the figurehead of a community, or another person with valuable leadership experience that they’re willing to talk about.
Award For Changing The World One Moment At A Time
We believe that podcasts have the power to create change in the world, and we know there are people out there using audio as part of a wider message. This category is for moments with purpose, moments that say something profound about the world we live in, and what people are doing to change it for the better.
