Announcing The 2024 Ear Worthy Indie Podcast Awards

The first annual awards for indie podcasters, who are the heart and soul of podcasting.

There are a lot of podcasts. Understatement of the year, right? In podcasting's brief history, the industry has also found itself awash in awards. The Ambies, iHeart Podcast Awards, People's Choice Podcast Awards, The Webbys, The Signal Awards, British Podcast Awards, and others. These awards do not yet attract the media attention like the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys (EGOT).

In the future, there could be a podcast award ceremony broadcast on a major TV network (Sorry, TLC) with distinguished achievement award names like the James Cridland Legacy Award, the Bryan Barletta Career Achievement Award, or the Arielle Nissenblatt Podcast Stewardship Award.

Yet, with few exceptions, these awards either don't recognize independent podcasts or have them do battle against their well-financed, network-supported brethren. 

Even the film industry has an award platform for indie filmmakers. The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers.

In fact, the music industry has an award for indie music. The Hollywood Independent Music Awards (HIMA) is the premier global platform for independent music. Emerging and established artists, songwriters, composers, and audio recording professionals around the world are recognized for outstanding contributions and content creation.

Based on the continued neglect of indie podcasters and their legacy of excellence, Ear Worthy is announcing its first annual Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards, or EWIPA.

The Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards are sponsored by lenny.fm. It works like this: Listeners contribute US$4 a month, which is split between the top 4 podcasts they chose.If a podcast in their top 4 doesn’t publish an episode that month, the preferences reorder to 4 that have.The podcast can choose how best to reward listeners supporting them via lenny.fm, if they choose to.

While not exclusively for independent podcasts, lenny.fm offers a monetization option that was not previously available for independent podcasters.

Courtney Carthy of lenny.fm says: "We want to get podcasters to be rewarded for their work by people who value it, and help drive an overall increase in listeners supporting podcasters."

Many bootstrapped indie podcasts have paper-thin budgets and are led by overworked and underappreciated podcasters.

 What will award winners receive? I know that question is uppermost in the minds of the award winners and the jealous network-financed podcasts that are intentionally excluded from these awards.

First, recognition from Ear Worthy via Blogger, Substack, Medium, and Tumblr -- and social media -- in an article announcing the award winners. Second, each award winner will receive a .png image of the EWIPA with their name emblazoned on it. Third, each winner will have an article about their podcast in Ear Worthy about their indie podcast. These articles will run from now until Labor Day. Fourth, a press release with the award winners’ podcasts and names will be issued on July 9th. Fifth, the winners will receive all the media hype and attention commensurate with winning such a prestigious award. If Good Morning America calls requesting a live interview, please accept.

Sixth, this award recognizes their outstanding achievements and commitment to excellence. Indie podcasters wear more hats than any network-supported podcaster. They are creators, writers, producers, sound engineers, I.T. troubleshooters, researchers, hosts, distribution pros, marketing gurus, public relations professionals, and, most importantly of all, financial backers for the podcast. This award is that voice in the wilderness that calls to them: "Keep going. You're on the right track."
Here are the first Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards. Each winner will have a link to their podcast, and I encourage anyone reading or listening to check out these excellent podcasts and support these indie podcasters.

Best Indie Podcast of the Year

The Life Shift -- "Candid conversations with people about the pivotal moments that changed their lives forever. The Life Shift podcast highlights life-altering moments and humanizes the struggles and triumphs through them all."
Indie podcaster / Host -- Matt Gilhooly.

  Best Interview Podcast

 Preconceived --  "Preconceived exists to question the current state of affairs. Why are we groomed to accept norms as they are? Are we all destined to go to school, find a stable job, get married, have kids, then enjoy our retirement and older age? Do we hold certain beliefs because we value them, or because someone else told us to?"
                                    Indie podcaster / Host -- Zale Mednick

 Best Life Lessons Podcast

Multispective -- "We believe each person has a unique story to tell. Experiences, both good and bad, shape our everyday lives.
Many of us go through similar things, yet our stories are never the same."
Indie podcaster / Host --Jennica Sadhwani

Best Health Podcast

Salad With A Side Of Fries -- "What to eat and when to cheat! Let's decipher between all the “diets” out there. You know what to do, but it isn't working. Talking wellness and weight loss for real life, because most of us are going to drink, eat out, skip the grocery store and who wants a life without fries or dessert?"
                                        Indie podcaster / host Jenn Trepeck

Best Workplace Podcast

Surfing Corporate --"Our goal is to help you not only navigate the corporate waters, but to surf the hell out of them, and all without throwing fellow employees to the sharks or promising your firstborn to Satan. It CAN be done."

Indie podcaster / co-hosts Aileen Merciel & Glenda Pacanins

Best Young Adult Podcast

Seraphina Speaks -- "This award-winning family-friendly show inspires tweens and early teens to examine social norms and ordinary, everyday things. Everything from happiness, being a tween, chores, school, Race, toys, & more."
Indie podcaster Danusia Malina-Derben / Host Seraphina Malina-Derben

Best Business Advice Podcast

Bippity Boppity Business -- "No one makes magic in business like Disney! On this podcast, we are focused on teaching business leaders and entrepreneurs Disney storytelling magic. You will learn how to infuse wonder into your brand. You will uncover the secrets to immerse your customers and convert them from passive follower to super-fan consumers."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Rita Richa

Best Podcasting Success Podcast

Leverage Your Podcast -- "This show is for podcast hosts and guests, bringing insider secrets from podcast industry experts and entrepreneurs who have created a successful lifestyle business through podcasting."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Lyndsay Phillips

 Best Movie Podcast

 Verbal Diorama--  "Movies are tough to make, and Verbal Diorama is here to celebrate the coming together of teams of extraordinary cast and crew, bringing us movies that inspire us, delight us, make us laugh, make us cry and frighten us."
Indie podcaster / host -- Em

Best Film History Podcast

Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever--"This podcast looks back at more than a century of films, beginning in 1902 and working towards the future. Each episode focuses on a film, director or theme and brings in experts to discuss its history, politics and influences. Each episode focuses on a film, director or theme and brings in experts to discuss the history, politics, and influences."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Ayesha Khan

Best Music Podcast

Watching The Covers Flow --  "This podcast dives deep into covers of, and by, the most covered songwriter in rock and roll, Bob Dylan. The show explores covers across era and genre, from a hip-hop "Subterranean Homesick Blues" to a bluegrass "Ring Them Bells" to Dylan's frequent detours from writing his own songs to singing other people's."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Ray Padgett

Best LGBTQIA+ Podcast

 Because The Boss Belongs To Us-- "If someone asked you to name a queer icon, who would you say? Cher? Britney? Whitney? Mariah? What about…Bruce Springsteen? Two queer nerds try to get Bruce Springsteen recognized as the queer icon they know that he is."
Indie podcaster / co-hosts Jesse Lawson & Holly Casio.

Best Politics Podcast

Ken Rudin's Political Junkie --"Each week, veteran political analyst Ken Rudin explores policy debates, campaign strategies and the newsmakers making it happen in Washington and in state capitols across the country. Politicians, journalists and experts join Ken to share smart analysis and rich historical context behind the issues shaping our national dialogue today."
                                      Indie podcaster / host Ken Rudin

Best History Podcast

Music History Monday -- "Exploring history through music history with Professor Robert Greenberg one Monday at a time. Every Monday Robert Greenberg explores some timely, perhaps intriguing and even, if we are lucky, salacious chunk of musical information relevant to that date, or to … whatever."
Indie podcaster / host Professor Robert Greenberg.

Best True-Crime Podcast

The Murder Sheet -- "We take a journalistic approach to covering true crime. We have broken national news on major cases, like the Delphi murders and the Burger Chef murders. We also cover plenty of other subjects, including high-profile murders, cold cases, legal topics within the criminal justice system, restaurant slayings, historical crimes, and wide-ranging interviews with authors and experts."
Indie podcaster / co-hosts Aine Cain & Kevin Greenlee

Best Society / Education Podcast

Impostrix -- "Impostrix Podcast affirms the lived experiences of (smart, talented AF, and often over-qualified) people of color by challenging imposter syndrome narratives and validate people navigating racial toxicity in their career.Here, you will learn ways to overcome and leverage imposter syndrome,  you will be better able to identify when and why your work culture is working against you."
                                    Indie podcaster / host Whitney Knox Lee

Best Short-Form Podcast

Arielle & Ned's Daily Tips... --"Arielle Nissenblatt and Ned Donovan on their daily adventures to bring small, possibly insignificant tips and advice into the world. No tip is too small, all are helpful to someone (we hope), it just might not be you that day."
Indie podcasters / co-hosts Arielle Nissenblatt & Ned Donovan

 Best Celebrity Accountability Podcast (Tie)

Trashy Divorces --A Good Podcast About Bad Relationships. Every Wednesday and Sunday, Alicia and Stacie take you on a comedic ride through stories of marital misconduct and love gone wrong, blending biography, pop culture, history, and politics.
Indie podcasters / co-hosts Alicia & Stacie
 

What A Creep-- "Hosts Margo and Sonia chat about Creeps. We talk about Creeps of the past and the present: It's the who's who of who's the worst.

Indie podcasters / co-hosts Margo Donohue & Sonia Mansfield

 Best Audio Fiction Podcast

Hobo Code --"Hop a freight train with two hobos, a little girl, and her best friend who lives in a coffee can. Hobo Code is an epic journey spanning from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, all the way to the Great Recession of 2008."
                                    Writers: Shane Portman & Paul Pakler
                                    Producers: Ruth Gamble & Shane Portman
 

 Best Entrepreneurial Podcast

Nerdpreneur -- "At Nerdpreneur we have fun conversations with people turning their weird passion into a successful business! We interview entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the hacks, tools, and mindsets that turn nerd passion into full-time income."

Indie podcasters /co-hosts Frank Bailey & Chris Saunders

 Best Food / Restaurant Podcast

"Fine" Dining--  "The hilarious search for the most mediocre chain restaurant in America. Host Michael Ornelas hits popular spots like IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, & Chili's to find the perfectly average 5-out-of-10 "fine" dining experience."

 Indie podcaster / host Michael Ornelas

 Best TV Podcast

Double Take-- "There’s nothing worse than endlessly scrolling through all of your streaming service apps, right? Join Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen as they give their thoughts on new streaming shows in the form of episode-by-episode reactions, reviews of new shows, and more."

Indie podcaster / co-hosts Jess Spoll & Jenni Cullen

 Best Career Podcast

Who Made You The Boss? -- "is a podcast for recovering workaholics. Listen as Lindsey Epperly, CEO of Jetset World Travel, interviews leaders from executives to creatives, entrepreneurs to innovators, teach how they tackle imposter syndrome, turn obstacles into opportunities, and prove that we can pursue careers we love without sacrificing our whole selves."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Lindsey Epperly

 Best Arts & Culture Podcast

The Art Career --"candid, straightforward conversations with leaders in visual arts, writing, music, theater and film. The show dives deep into topics like self development, career trajectories, mental health, and social justice.Expand your journey through the arts and feel empowered about what you do."
                                    Indie podcaster / host Emily McElwreath

Best Business Processes Podcast

 Streamlined Solopreneur -- "Each week, host Joe Casabona talks about how you can build a better business through smarter systems and automated processes. He does this by bringing on expert guests, and sharing his own experience from years as a busy solopreneur parent — so that being a solopreneur feels…less solo."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Joe Casabona

 Best Podcast Tips Podcast

One Minute Podcast Tips--If you're looking to be a better podcaster, but you don't have time to listen to hours and hours of advice, One Minute Podcast Tips is the show for you. I'll let you know what hardware and software you should use, and how they'll help you and your show no matter where you are in your podcasting journey.
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Danny Brown

 Best Americana Podcast 

Vanishing Postcards -- "invites listeners to ride shotgun on a road trip exploring the traditions, hidden dives, and offbeat attractions that can be found by exiting the interstate.It is a touching, humorous, and enriching experience that is part travelogue, oral history, and valentine to American culture."
                                    Indie podcaster / host -- Evan Stern

Best Pet Podcast

Six Degrees Of Cats-- "the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast to join cat worshipper Amanda B. as she investigates these and other hard hitting questions with a diversity of guest experts from across the globe."”

Indie podcaster / host -- Amanda B. / Captain Kitty 

****************************************************
Congratulations to all the winners. These indie podcasters went on the noblest of journeys -- the search for excellence.
If you are a passionate podcast listener, support your favorite independent podcasts with a donation or membership, or check out lenny.fm.