Overview

The Signal Awards are determined by The Signal Awards Judging Academy, an esteemed collective made up of the architects, instigators and trailblazers of the podcast medium. Once a year, The Academy collectively listens closely to thousands of hours of audio, elevating the strongest work to be considered a Finalist.

If your project has been selected as a Finalist – congratulations! – this means your podcast is eligible to win a Bronze, Silver or Gold Signal Award in this year’s competition. This also means you’re in the running to win a Listener’s Choice Award. This year, all entrants will be notified if their podcast is considered a Finalist on September 23rd, 2025.

The Listener’s Choice Award

Once Judges’ scores have been tallied, all Finalist entries are publicized, at which point they are automatically entered into the running for a Listener’s Choice Award, an international competition open to the public from September 23rd-October 9th in which podcasts in each category are voted on by fans for the additional coveted award of Listener’s Choice.

Four Different Awards

Scores are based on Judging Criteria, and Judges’ cumulative scores determine Bronze, Silver, and Gold Winners. We believe in elevating the strongest podcasts being made each year, so our Judging system is based on a numeric threshold for each medal tier. Because of this, there can be multiple winners in Bronze, Silver or Gold in a given category, or none at all, depending on relative scoring. Academy Members are prevented from voting in any category in which they have a conflict of interest.

When are Winners Announced?

Once all Judges have submitted their scores and the listening public has cast their votes, Winners of the 4th Annual Signal Awards will be announced on Wednesday, October 15th, 2025.