Australia's audio Oscars: Australian Podcast Awards returns for 2023, with 30 categories

The nation’s most prestigious podcast ceremony, The Australian Podcast Awards (APAs) powered by iHeart, returns for 2023 – celebrating the very best of the Australian podcast industry - while spotlighting rising talent that has gained acclaim over the past year.

The 2023 Australian Podcast Awards promises to be bigger and better than ever with a total of 30 award categories from Best New Podcast to Podcast of the Year and every genre-based category in between.

Over 45 judges listened to nearly 700 submissions in 2022, awarding gold to 28 top podcasts across categories from True Crime to Comedy and Sex & Relationships.

The news of the 2023 Australian Podcast Awards comes as Australia retains it title against the U.S. as the world’s biggest podcast listening nation, and the industry continues to produce a record-number of break-through podcasts.

Jennie Meynell, Business Lead, Australian Podcast Awards, said:

“Australia is home to some of the world’s best podcast production. To bring the industry’s most recognised and prestigious podcasting awards back for its seventh year is a huge honour.

“The 2023 Australian Podcast Awards promises to uncover and champion the best talent of the Australian podcasting industry. We welcome podcasts big and small to enter and look forward to another year of break-through podcasting content.”

Corey Layton, Head of Digital Audio at ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia, said: “We love the annual gathering of the Australian Podcast Industry to celebrate the magic of our thriving medium and are proud to once again lead the recognition of those who are doing it best”.

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 seventh year, the Awards continues to recognise the industry’s most innovative and emerging podcast content across its varied categories.

2022 winners included The Last Outlaws (iHeart Podcast of The Year). An acclaimed trilogy series that details the lives and circumstances of Australia’s last bushrangers, Jimmy and Joe Governor, who were declared outlaws and wanted dead or alive. Outlaws is an intimate portrait of two Aboriginal men, as well as an exploration of the society that would become a Federated Australia.

While the Listeners Choice category was awarded to Life Uncut, after receiving over 65,000 votes in a public poll. Smart, wild and always entertaining, Life Uncut is an unfiltered chat on all things love and dating with Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne.

Submissions for the Australian Podcast Awards are now open, find out more at australianpodcastawards.com. Nominees will be selected by a judging panel of industry experts before the category winners are announced in November.