The Signal Awards has announced the winners of its fourth annual honours, recognising the podcasts and creators defining culture in 2025.
This year’s winners showcase a wide spectrum of voices and genres, from IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson and The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, to Baby, This is Keke Palmer, Scam, Inc. from The Economist, and The Mel Robbins Podcast.
Other notable winners include The Rest Is Classified (Goalhanger), The Wonder of Stevie (Audible), All There Is with Anderson Cooper (CNN), Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud (Vox Media Podcast Network), and Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird (Vox Media Podcast Network.
This year’s awards saw unprecedented listener engagement, with over 385,000 votes from 127,000 voters worldwide, marking a 126% increase over 2024.
Submissions came from countries including the U.K., Australia, Canada, Germany, and Qatar, highlighting the global growth of podcasting.
In addition to the main awards, the Signal Awards presented a series of distinctions celebrating outstanding contributions to the medium.
Ashley Flowers, creator of Crime Junkie, received the Audio Icon Award for transforming true crime podcasting and building a dedicated fan community. Hasan Minhaj won the inaugural Cultural Impact Award for Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know, recognised for its urgent dialogues and influential guests.
Brian Reed and Robyn Semien were honoured with the Special Achievement Award for Question Everything, reflecting their work pushing the boundaries of journalism in podcasting.
iHeartPodcasts was named Podcast Company of the Year, recognised for its leadership and support of diverse creators.
“This year’s Signal Award winners illuminate how audio is shaping discourse,” said Jemma Rose Brown, General Manager of The Signal Awards. “From investigative work that exposes truth, to personal essays that make the intimate universal, and cultural commentary that reframes how we see the world – this year’s winners remind us why podcasting has become essential.”
Among those earning dual honours with both a Signal Gold selected by the Judging Academy and a Listener’s Choice Award, which is selected by public votes are:
- ‘The Wonder of Stevie’ (Audible) Best Host
- ‘Baby, This is Keke Palmer ‘(Wondery) Interview or Talk Show
- ‘The Mel Robbins Podcast’ (143 Studios) Best Guest
- ‘The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart’ (The Weekly Show) Best Host for and Individual Episode
- ‘Scam, Inc.’ (The Economist) Money & Finance
- ‘Club Shay Shay’ (Shay Shay Media) for Athletes Shaping Culture
- ‘99% Invisible’ (SiriusXM) Documentary
- ‘The Moth Radio Hour’ (The Moth) Commute Podcast
- ‘Charlie’s Place’ (Atlas Obscura) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Other notable winners of Signal Gold include:
- ‘All There Is with Anderson Cooper’ (CNN) Best Video Podcast
- ‘Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud’ (Vox Media Podcast Network) Most Innovative Video Podcast
- ‘Next Question with Katie Couric’ (iHeartPodcasts) Best Host in News & Politics
- ‘The Colin and Samir Show Best Video Podcast’
- ‘Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird’ (Vox Media Podcast Network) Sports
- ‘The Rest Is Classified’ (Goalhanger) Best Video Podcast Co-Host Team
- ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ (Meadowlark Media) Sports
- ‘Liberty Lost’ (Wondery) Documentary
- ‘Suave Season Two’ (Futuro Media Group) Documentary
- ‘Proxy with Yowei Shaw’ (PRX) Conversation Starter
- ‘Our Ancestors Were Messy’ History
Indie standouts such as ‘Debt Heads’, ‘Hyperfixed’, ‘Señora Sex Ed’, and ‘Things That Go Boom’ also took home top honours.
The Winner’s Party, presented by ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts, will take place on 10 November at Public Records in Brooklyn, NY, uniting creators, producers, and industry leaders to celebrate this year’s achievements.
Find out more at the Signal Awards website.
