The International Women’s Podcast Awards are now accepting entries for 2026, with a new host and an expanded scholarship programme.
The awards, presented by Tink Media this year, will return with updated branding, a new team and a ceremony in Toronto.
Entries are open until 31 July. The awards continue to champion international women creators in audio both behind the mic and behind the scenes from podcast hosts and producers to editors and writers.
The IWPAs celebrate the creativity, innovation, and impact of women in podcasting across genres and geographies, including queer and trans podcasters, working both on-air and behind the scenes.
Founded to celebrate women in audio worldwide, the International Women’s Podcast Awards honour work from independent creators, solo podcasters and established production companies alike. Each submission is judged equally, regardless of budget or team size.
There are 10 returning categories, including Moment of Compelling Storytelling, Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance and Moment of Comedy Gold.
A new category, Moment of Artistry in Advertising, has been added this year. It recognises creative podcast advertising, including paid sponsorships, promo swaps and feed swaps.
Lauren Passell, founder of Tink Media, said: “Creating cool, entertaining, and effective audio ads is a lost art. We want to remind people that ads have the potential to be all of those things and encourage people to start going in bolder directions with how they do host-reads.”
Entrants can submit up to 10 minutes of audio for each category. Eligible audio must have been released publicly between 10 June last year and 31 July this year.
The awards fee is $50 per entry, including processing costs.
Tink Media is also continuing the IWPA Scholarship Programme, which offers support for underfunded and marginalised independent creators. Scholarships can cover both entry fees and tickets to attend the ceremony in Toronto.
Applications for scholarship support will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the submission deadline or until available funds are allocated.
For those interested in applying for scholarships, visit the Tink Media website and podcast entries to the awards should be submitted to the International Women’s Podcast Awards.
