Podcasting Has Too Many Awards... And No Way To Stop Them

BusinessMediaPodcasting Has Too Many Awards... And No Way To Stop ThemByFrank Racioppi,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Frank Racioppi is the owner of Ear Worthy, focusing on podcasts.Follow AuthorMay 11, 2026, 09:07am EDTJames Cridland is the Editor/Publisher of Podnews, which is a media partner and supporter of the Independent Podcast Awards, which have been held annually in London since 2023.Independent Podcast AwardsLet’s light the match on awards in the podcasting industry by relating a story from James Cridland, owner/editor of Podnews, a podcast Hall Of Fame inductee, and one of the most respected voices in the industry.In the January 22, 2026 edition of Podnews, Cridland relates: “At the expo hall in Podfest this year was one booth manned by The International Podcast Awards. This wasn’t an award ceremony I’d heard of, so on the third day of the conference, I went to ask some questions of the guy who was sitting at the booth.”When Cridland asked "How do the awards work?” He was told that they are free to enter, and if you win, it’s $300 to an awards ceremony in Phoenix AZ, where you get to pick up the award, you get filmed doing an interview, the whole red carpet treatment, but there are other packages available. There are two events a year: the next is scheduled for April 2026, in Arizona. By email, he asked the International Podcast Awards for a list of winners, and he received a response from… Joshua 'Atlas’ Aultman, who runs the International Podcast Awards. He told Cridland: “We asked for/received podcasts and studio nominations through social media in 2025. Awards were announced on social media, but we haven’t created an awardee page yet - this website thing is new. Judges for last cycle were me and my team.”All this seemed sketchy to Mr. Cridland (and others), but it is emblematic of the multitude of issues surrounding podcast awards. Let’s begin with:MORE FOR YOU Podcast awards are given away...