The Australian Podcast Awards (APAs) are back, with women dominating the industry more than ever. Australia has officially overtaken the US, coming in as the world’s biggest podcast listening nation.

Prestigious and widely recognised, the APAs are powered by iHeart and will be celebrating the best of the best Australian podcasts and podcasting talent to emerge and gain fandom over the past year.

Last year, close to a 1000 submissions were listened to by 90 judges. Twenty-nine top podcasts picked up awards, ranging across several categories from true crime to comedy, sex and relationships. But the 2022 APAs promises to be bigger and better with an expanded 33 award categories ranging from Best New Podcast to Podcast of the year and every genre-based category in between. 

This year the Awards will also make it easier for independent BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), Queer and Trans audio creators to enter, thanks to a partnership with the Podcasting, Seriously Fund, which provides reimbursement to members of these communities for their entries.

As the industry continues to produce a record number of breakthrough podcasts,  APA director Matt Deegan says, “Australia isn’t just the world’s biggest podcast listening nation, it’s also at the forefront of incredible podcast production. We’re so thrilled to bring the industry’s most recognised and prestigious podcasting awards back for its sixth year.”

The Australian Podcast Awards launched in 2016 as a way to showcase the amazing podcast talent and content Australia has to offer. Now in its sixth year, the program continues to recognise the industry’s most innovative and emerging podcast content across its varied categories. It also hosts an annual conference, Podcast Day 24, which will be held on 4 October in Sydney, sharing content, research and podcast industry trends.

Last year’s winners were also dominated by women, including Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley’s Life Uncut, Julia Gillard’s A Podcast of One’s Own and Brooke Boney and Linda Marigliano’s Brooke and Linda’s Dream Club.

For the 2022 APAs, could Abbie Chatfield’s It’s a Lot claim an award as it charts at number four on Spotify’s Top Society and Culture podcasts? Or will Matt and Jack from The Inspired Unemployed win, as they sit at number nine on Spotify Australia’s Top Podcast list? 

The winners will be announced in November after judges and the public have voted for their favourite podcasters.