FAQs

Entries open on Wednesday 5th February and will close on Monday 17th March.

The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate women, including transwomen, in podcasting. We champion and celebrate their work, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, from podcast hosts and producers, to editors, writers and the many roles in between. Although the entries are for women and trans women, the IWPAs are are proudly queer and trans inclusive. Our judging panel is representative of all genders, and everyone is welcome to attend the awards. We aim to make this space as safe and inclusive as possible.

It’s £30 per entry for independent and charity podcasts, and £65 for those run by corporate entities or production companies.

We aim to keep our entry fees as low as possible but following a significant uptake in the last 3 years, the IWPA Bursary Fund will be open again this year. The Bursary Fund offers complimentary entry to anyone worldwide that needs it, no questions asked.

We’re determined that cost shouldn’t be a barrier to people entering the awards, and we know how expensive it is to come to an event in London, whether you’re local or travelling within the UK or from afar, so aim to help with attendance too. In 2022, we’ve introduced the IWPA Bursary Fund, which covers the costs of both entering and/or attending the event, either in-person or online.

It’s open to anybody, anywhere. All that’s required is to fill in a quick form and a code for complimentary entry/attendance will be made available. The form will be on the awards webpage, and we’ll link to it here too when entries open.

Yes, you can enter your podcast in more than one category.

What you can’t do is make multiple entries from one show in one category.

To avoid confusion, an ‘entry’ or ‘clip’ here means the segment of audio you’re choosing to enter as part of one submission.

Bear with us: 

• you can enter the same clip in multiple categories if you think it fits 
• Or you can enter different clips from the same podcast in different categories

This is always a point of confusion every year so we hope this makes sense!

For sure – we’d love to hear your work, wherever you are. Last year we welcomed entries from 34 different nations around the world and we’re very excited to see what happens in 2025.

No, absolutely not. We accept entries from all over the world, and have had shortlisted podcasts, runners up and winners from across the globe in multiple timezones. It’s hard to organise an event at a time that suits the entire world, but we have a global livestream that’s recorded and we do our best to facilitate access for as many people as we can!

That’s also brilliant, we have a category for podcasts in languages other than English as we’re really keen to highlight the broadest range of work that we can. All you’ll need for this category is an English language transcript to go along with your audio submission.

Absolutely not. The International Women’s Podcast Awards celebrate moments of audio brilliance, and the people that make them happen. In a lot of respects, we are unlike other awards: we don’t look at what genre your podcast is, and we don’t care how many downloads you’ve had. It’s about how you make the judges feel, how the story is told, how the point your guest is making is explained – you get the idea.

As we are an annual awards, the audio you enter must have been released between 1st May 2024 and 10th June 2025.

We realise that 10th June 2024 is after the closing date for entries, and is close to the actual date of the awards. Although entries will close in March, this gives you the option to enter work that is ready for release after the entry closing date, but that will be out in the world before the actual awards themselves in June. If the audio that is entered isn’t then subsequently released by the time of the event, it unfortunately won’t be eligible to win.

Yes, the team at the IWPAs are dedicated to providing the highest levels of accessibility to allow full participation at events for all attendees. The venue is fully accessible with an induction loop, and live subtitling will be provided on the night. If you require any further adjustments to facilitate attendance then please just let us know and we will do our very best to help.

We’re aware that coming to a large social event can be daunting, particularly if you’re attending alone. Here’s a few examples of what we’re doing to ensure a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone:

• We’ve designated a space within the event venue where anyone can go if they need a moment of quiet or to speak with a member of our team. These spaces will be clearly marked and easily accessible.
• We encourage those attending alone to arrive at a slightly earlier time if you wish, so we can welcome you and introduce both ourselves and others before it gets particularly busy
• All guests are offered the opportunity to send us a request in advance of any individual or representative of an organisation that they may wish to meet if possible, and we do our best to help with this
• We enforce a strict zero tolerance policy against any form of harassment, discrimination, or disrespect. Any reports of such behaviour will be taken seriously and addressed immediately. 
• We encourage feedback and open dialogue about how we can continue to improve the inclusivity and safety of our event. Attendees can reach out to any staff member to report concerns or suggestions anonymously.

Our goal is to create a space where everyone can connect, learn, and share in a setting that celebrates the diversity and richness of the podcasting community. We’re here to support you and ensure your experience at our event is both enjoyable and safe. We are also proud to be signatories of the Equality in Audio Pact.