The Political Podcast Awards are set to return on 28 January 2026 with an expanded line-up of honours, including a brand-new Student Podcast of the Year category.
Sponsored by YouTube, the event will again take place in Westminster, hosted by broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth.
The awards, organised by iNHouse Communications, celebrate how political podcasts have transformed the way listeners consume news and debate.
Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director and now a podcast host, will deliver the keynote address.
He praised the medium for giving audiences more direct access to politics, saying: “You’re not waiting for something stiff on TV anymore, you’re going straight to the people with real takes, real voices – that’s power. It’s going to be, to quote one of my old friends, YUGE!”
Entries are open across nine categories and close on 15 October 2025. An independent judging panel, chaired by Good Morning Britain’s Head of Politics Anne Alexander, will then meet to decide the winners.
In total, 11 awards will be presented on the night, with categories reflecting the diversity and reach of political podcasting across the UK and internationally.
The inaugural awards this year saw almost 100 entries, with winners including The Rest is Politics, Political Currency, Electoral Dysfunction, The News Agents, The Daily T, and Politics at Jack and Sam’s.
There were also individual awards, such as Rising Star, which was awarded to Sacha O’Sullivan of Politico’s Westminster Insider.
This year’s new Student Podcast of the Year category will highlight the creativity of young producers at universities and colleges. It reflects the growing role of podcasting as a platform for new talent as well as established voices.
Katie Perrior, Chair of iNHouse Communications and founder of the Political Podcast Awards, said: “If 2024 was the year of elections, 2025 has been when the whole world seemed to change in ways nobody can quite comprehend.
“Political podcasts have become more important than ever in reaching listeners with informative content and healthy debate.
“Political podcasts have completely transformed the way the public consumes news, and the appetite for this content seems only to increase every year.
“We were completely blown away by the success of last year’s awards and the quality of the winners. The 2026 awards are going to be bigger and better.”
Political Podcast Awards 2026 – Award Categories
BEST NEWCOMER
There’s been an explosion of great new innovative political podcasts in the last year. This award will go to the podcast judges think has broken the mold and stood apart from the other new kids on the block in the last year.
COMEDY MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Politics doesn’t have to be serious all the time! This award is for the political podcast ‘moment of mirth’ of the year – the event or segment that got the audience smiling.
INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR
This award is for the most impactful podcast interview of the year – one that grabbed attention (and headlines) across the UK.
MOST ORIGINAL FORMAT
This award is for the political podcast format judges feel really stands apart from the competition – engaging its audience and offering something entirely different.
PRESENTER OF THE YEAR
Political podcasts would be nothing without the brilliant political journalists, commentators, and political figures who front them. This award is for the presenter, or presenting team, going above and beyond to engage, entertain and inform their audience.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Behind every great podcast is a great producer. Whether getting great guests or keeping the show on the road, this award is for the producer judges believe has been integral to the success of their podcast and consistently produced excellence.
RISING STAR
Whilst political podcasts are hosted by senior journalists and well-known politicians, this award goes to the up-and-coming political podcaster who’s shown mastery of their medium in the last year – capturing audience attention and breaking great stories.
STORY OF THE YEAR
This award is for the most jaw-dropping, eye-catching, headline-grabbing story from a political podcast over the last year.
STUDENT PODCAST OF THE YEAR
A brand-new award this year, the Student Podcast award celebrates the unique contributions of students to political podcasting. With a range of political podcasts coming out of universities and colleges across the UK, the judges look forward to seeing entries from up-and-coming young people producing truly brilliant audio content.
Entries are now open and will close on 15 October 2025: https://politicalpodcastawards.co.uk/nominate-podcast/
