Listen up: iHeartMedia announced nominations for the 2026 iHeartPodcast Awards in partnership with South by Southwest, to be hosted by comedian and podcaster Ego Nwodim.
For the second straight year, the iHeartPodcast Awards will be presented at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, at SXSW on Monday, March 16, starting at 7 p.m. CT. The event also will be livestreamed on select iHeartMedia radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app.
The annual awards show will honor the most influential podcasters of the year across 28 categories, including the evening’s top honor, the fan-voted Podcast of the Year award. (See the full list of nominees below.)
Nominees for Podcast of the Year are: “Good Hang With Amy Poehler” — which just won the first-ever Golden Globe for best podcast — “The Breakfast Club,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” the New York Times’ “The Daily,” “The Rest Is History,” “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Heavyweight” and “Giggly Squad.” From Jan. 14-Feb. 22, listeners can cast their vote for their Podcast of the Year at iheartpodcastawards.com. Winners in the other categories will be selected by a panel of “industry leaders, creatives and visionaries,” according to iHeartMedia.
“Saturday Night Live” alum Nwodim will emcee this year’s iHeartPodcast Awards. She’s the host of the “Thanks Dad” podcast, which is nominated in the best emerging podcast category. Nwodim’s podcast is produced with and distributed by iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network.
In addition to the iHeartPodcast Awards fan-voted and category awards, iHeartMedia will present three Icon Awards honoring “individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to the podcasting medium.” Jay Shetty, author and host of popular podcast “On Purpose,” will receive the 2026 Social Impact Award; Terry Gross, legendary host of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” will receive the 2026 Audible Audio Pioneer Award for a career that has “redefined the art of the interview through curiosity, rigor and deep empathy”; and Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of “Song Exploder,” will be presented with the 2026 Innovator Award for “his visionary approach to storytelling, inviting artists to break down their creative processes and redefining how audiences experience music in podcast form,” iHeartMedia said.
At last year’s iHeartPodcast Awards, the Podcast of the Year Award went to “Las Culturistas,” hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, which is nominated this year the pop culture category.
“Podcasting continues to be one of the most vibrant and fast-growing mediums in media today,” said Will Pearson, president of iHeartPodcasts, in a statement. “We are thrilled to return to Austin and ACL Live at the Moody Theater to celebrate the storytellers who are pushing the boundaries of audio.”
Peter Lewis, chief commercial officer of SXSW, added: “The Podcast Awards have become a defining moment for the audio community at SXSW, and we’re proud to continue building that momentum with iHeartMedia in 2026. Bringing this event back to ACL Live at the Moody Theater reflects how deeply podcasting is embedded in the cultural conversation at SXSW, and our commitment to creating meaningful stages for the creators shaping where audio goes next.”
Amazon’s Audible is a sponsor of the 2026 iHeartPodcast Awards. Executive producers for the event are John Sykes, Tom Poleman, Conal Byrne and Bart Peters for iHeartMedia. More details including guest presenters and celebrity appearances will be announced in the coming months.
2026 iHeartPodcast Award Nominees
Podcast of the Year
- Good Hang With Amy Poehler
- The Breakfast Club
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- Pablo Torre Finds Out
- The Daily
- The Rest Is History
- This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
- Call Her Daddy
- Heavyweight
- Giggly Squad
Business & Finance
- Earn Your Leisure
- How I Built This
- Acquired
- Young and Profiting with Hala Taha
- The Diary of a CEO
Comedy
- Good Hang With Amy Poehler
- The Toast
- Distractible
- Handsome
- The Basement Yard
Crime
- Crime Junkie
- Rotten Mango
- Anatomy of Murder
- My Favorite Murder
- Wisecrack
Pop Culture
- Las Culturistas
- Call Her Daddy
- Therapuss with Jake Shane
- Giggly Squad
- The Viall Files
Food
- Eating While Broke
- The Sporkful
- Home Cooking
- The Splendid Table
- Dinner’s On Me
Wellness & Fitness
- On Purpose with Jay Shetty
- Huberman Lab
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- 10% Happier
- Maintenance Phase
History
- The Rest Is History
- You’re Wrong About
- Throughline
- American History Tellers
- SNAFU
Kids & Family
- Story Pirates
- Wow in the World
- Circle Round
- The Big Fib
- Brains On!
Music
- The Bobby Bones Show
- Song Exploder
- Switched On Pop
- All Songs Considered
- One Song
News
- New York Times’ The Daily
- The Megyn Kelly Show
- Pivot
- The MeidasTouch Podcast
- Up First from NPR
Fiction
- The NoSleep Podcast
- Havoc Town
- Old Gods of Appalachia
- Table Read
- Murder at the Patel Motel
Sports
- New Heights
- Pardon My Take
- The Zach Lowe Show
- Club 520
- The Ringer Fantasy Football Show
Science
- Radiolab
- Ologies
- Hidden Brain
- StarTalk Radio
- Shell Game
Technology
- Hard Fork
- Black Tech Green Money
- Galaxy Brain
- Acquired
- All-In
Ad Read
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Call Her Daddy
- My Brother, My Brother and Me
- Dudes on Dudes
- Distractible
Host
- Amy Poehler
- Pablo Torre
- Alex Cooper
- Emma Chamberlain
- Caleb Hearon
Ensemble
- We Can Do Hard Things
- SmartLess
- The Basement Yard
- This Is Important
- Get Played
Political
- Pod Save America
- The Bulwark Podcast
- Breaking Points
- Hacks On Tap
- The Ben Shapiro Show
TV & Film
- The Big Picture
- The Rewatchables
- How Did This Get Made?
- Watch What Crappens
- Girls Rewatch
Spanish Language
- Gracias, Come Again.
- Radio Ambulante
- Leyenda Legendarias
- Chente Ydrach
- Relatos de la Noche
Advice/Inspirational
- IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
- On Purpose with Jay Shetty
- Thanks For Asking with Nora McInerny
- Just Heal with Dr. Jay
- Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen
Beauty & Fashion
- Nymphet Alumni
- Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud
- Articles of Interest
- Lipstick on the Rim
- Naked Beauty
Travel
- Women Who Travel
- Travel with Rick Steves
- Zero To Travel
- Points Talk
- The Travel Diaries
Religious & Spirituality
- Deeply Well with Devi Brown
- Girls Gone Bible
- Joel Osteen Podcast
- WHOA That’s Good Podcast
- Elevation with Steven Furtick
Branded Podcast
- This Is Not a Beauty Podcast (L’Oreal)
- Crucible Moments (Sequoia Capital)
- The Unshakeables (Chase for Business)
- ZOE Science & Nutrition (ZOE)
- Smart Talks (IBM)
Emerging
- Khloé in Wonder Land
- Smart Girl Dumb Questions
- Try Hard
- Thanks Dad With Ego Nwodim
- Upstairs Neighbors
International
- ShxtsNGigs (United Kingdom)
- Las Alucines (Mexico)
- The Rest Is History (United Kingdom)
- Shameless (Australia)
- Crime Beat (Canada)
Disclosure: PMC, parent company of Variety, owns a majority stake in SXSW.
