The award-winning writer and host of interview podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day has been announced as the Chair of Judges at the British Podcast Awards.
The annual ceremony, now in its seventh year, celebrates excellence within the podcasting industry both behind and in front of the mic for both independent creators and major studio productions.
“I'm really honoured to be chairing this year's judging process,” said Day. “The UK podcast industry is very special: it's a space for important, nuanced, insightful conversations but it also brings laughter and joy to millions. I'm so excited to hear the range and diversity of this year's entries.”
Day’s podcast which “celebrates the things that haven't gone right” launched in 2018 and has since become very successful, with over 40 million downloads. The podcast has featured a number of celebrity guests including comedian Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag’s Andrew Scott, Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones, Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu and many more on the same level.
Last year’s judging panel at the British Podcast Awards was chaired by veteran journalists and co-hosts of Global’s current affairs podcast The News Agents, Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel. Other previous Chair of Judges of the event included George The Poet, Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Miranda Sawyer.
The British Podcast Awards 2023, powered by PodPod, are taking place at the immersive HERE at Outernet venue on 28 September. Entries are still open until 18 May and interested podcasters can apply through the British Podcast Awards website.
For the first time, the British Podcast Awards have added three new categories this year for Best History, Kids and Parenting podcasts. The highest honour will go to Podcast of the Year, chosen by the judges from the list of gold-winners within other categories that night.
Entry fees for this year’s awards are based on the individual or company’s annual turnover, which ranges from £130 + VAT for under £100k, to £260 + VAT for over £250k. This is an increase in entry fee prices since the early bird deadline has already passed in April.
BIPOC, queer and trans independent and non-commercial audio producers are also eligible for financial support to help with the entry fees through the Podcasting Seriously Fund, which has partnered with the British Podcast Awards.
PodPod is also editorially supporting both the Irish Podcast Awards and Australian Podcast Awards, under Haymarket Media Group, both of which are also currently open for early bird entries.
A new podcast miniseries by PodPod featuring the co-founders of the British Podcast Awards, Matt Hill and Matt Deegan, is launching tomorrow on what it takes to win an award and how podcasters can make their shows stand out. The first episode will discuss how to create the perfect entry for the British Podcast Awards with advice from the co-founders on the dos and don’ts of what to include in your submissions.
“Winning a British Podcast Award can provide a real boost for podcasters, but crafting the perfect entry to wow the judges can be harder than it looks,” said PodPod editor Adam Shepherd. “With this miniseries, we're bringing potential entrants a behind-the-scenes look at how the awards work, so you can make your entries really stand out.”
