The Canadian Podcast Awards has opened nominations for the ninth edition of the program, nominated and judged by those who work in the industry.
Started in 2018 by PodCamp Toronto, the awards recognize everyone from independent creators to established media across 31 categories – spanning comedy, true crime, arts, sports, current affairs, and more.
Submissions are now open to any eligible show that’s Canadian-produced, with a primarily Canadian team and majority Canadian hosts, and released at least five episodes in 2025 – including your own.
The most nominated shows in each category go to a vote by all members, with the public getting its say via the People’s Choice category.
Last year, members submitted more than 2,200 nominations.
“We Canadians have a habit of waiting for someone else, somewhere else, to tell us our work matters,” said John Leschinski, Founder of the Canadian Podcast Awards. “These awards exist so that the people making Canadian podcasts can recognize each other and say that the shows made here deserve to be celebrated here. Canadian culture has long been easy to take for granted, but backing our own voices matters more now than ever. If we don’t celebrate Canadian podcasts, nobody will do it for us.”
Leschinski told Broadcast Dialogue that the two categories that could use more participation are Francophone and Indigenous. He noted that entries in the Indigenous category have stayed essentially flat since 2020 even as participation in the rest of the awards roughly doubled. Francophone, meanwhile, is down about 70% from its peak in 2022 and 2023.
Anyone who is Canadian and works in podcasting can register to vote in this year’s awards.
Nominations close Nov. 14, with voting running from Nov. 17 to Dec. 2. Winners will be revealed in an online broadcast on Dec. 16.
