Signal Awards Crown 2026 Winners, Honoring the Risk Takers Shaping Podcasting's Future

‘Good Hang with Amy Poehler,’ ‘The Why Files,’ ‘Fela Kuti: Fear No Man,’ ‘Talk Easy,’ ‘Shell Game,’‘Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky,’ Khloé Kardashian, and more receive top honors, alongside work from iHeartPodcasts, Vox, Audible, NPR, Sony Music Entertainment, Higher Ground Productions, Spotify's The Ringer, Dear Media, and more

Signal Awards to recognize Phoebe Judge of ‘Criminal’ with the Audio Icon Award, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Pablo Torre of ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’, with the Special Achievement Award, iHeartPodcasts with Company of the Year Award, and iHeartMedia’s Ruby Studios with the Agency of the Year Award at the November 9 Winner’s Party in New York City

2026 winners reflect a changing podcast landscape as video category entries nearly double year over year, alongside significant growth in independent creators and personality-led programming

NEW YORK, NEW YORK October 20, 2026 — The Signal Awards, which recognize the podcasts that define culture, today announced the winners of its fifth annual competition, recognizing the creators, storytellers and innovators redefining what a podcast can be. This year’s winners include Monica Lewinsky, Amy Poehler, Khloé Kardashian, Shell Game, Las Culturistas, Talk Easy, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Wild Card and more, while Phoebe Judge and Pablo Torre will receive special honorary distinctions recognizing their contributions to the medium. This year, iHeartPodcasts will be recognized with the Company of the Year Award and iHeartMedia’s Ruby Studios will be named Agency of the Year. The Winner’s Party will be held on November 9 in New York City.

Under the theme “Recognizing the Risk Takers,” this year’s awards celebrate creators challenging established formats, experimenting with new approaches to storytelling and expanding the boundaries of podcasting. The winners arrive alongside new submission data reflecting a medium increasingly shaped by video, independent voices and personality-led programming. Across the fifth season, Signal Awards entries reflect a changing podcast landscape, with Signal Awards submissions for video categories nearly doubling year over year, alongside growing interest in independent creators and personality-led programming.

“Podcasting is no longer defined by a single format, platform or approach to storytelling, and this year’s submissions make that evolution impossible to ignore,” said Jemma Brown, GM of The Signal Awards. “Charts and download counts can only tell us what’s popular. At Signal, our role is to notice the creative risks that are quietly changing what everyone else makes next. This year’s Winners offer a first look at podcasting’s next chapter.”

Celebrating the Creators Redefining Podcasting
Among this year’s winners, Monica Lewinsky earned Gold for Best Host (Culture) for Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, while Khloé Kardashian received Silver in the same category for Khloé in Wonder Land. Amy Poehler took Gold for Best Host for Good Hang with Amy Poehler, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson earned Gold in Lifestyle for Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Video and conversational programming were also represented among this year’s honorees. Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers received Gold for Best Video Podcast Co-Host Team for Las Culturistas, while Rachel Martin’s Wild Card earned Gold for Best Video Podcast. Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay received Silver in Pop Culture, and Fat Joe earned Gold in Best Guest for an episode of Joe and Jada featuring Bill Burr.

Other notable winners include Christiane Amanpour, who received Silver for Best Host for Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files; Kal Penn, who earned Silver for Best Host (Culture) for Here We Go Again with Kal Penn; and Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos, whose The Moment received Gold for Best New Podcast. Kevin Hart’s Kids Make Me Angry earned Silver in Family & Child-Raising, while Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Staying Human received Silver for Most Inspirational.

Together, this year’s winners reflect the increasingly diverse voices, perspectives and creative approaches shaping podcasting, from established entertainment personalities to independent creators and professionals building their own platforms.

Signal Awards Recognizes Phoebe Judge, Pulitzer Prize Winner Pablo Torre, iHeartPodcasts, and iHeartMedia’s Ruby Studios with Honorary Distinctions
Beyond its competitive awards, the Signal Awards annually recognize select creators who have made an outsized impact on the podcasting industry, community and ecosystem through its Signal Honorary Distinctions. Selected by Signal’s editorial staff, these honors celebrate individuals and organizations whose contributions have helped shape the medium and its cultural influence.
This year’s honorees include Phoebe Judge, host and co-creator of Criminal, who will receive the Audio Icon Award, recognizing an individual whose work has made a lasting contribution to podcasting. Since launching Criminal in 2014, Judge has become one of the medium’s most distinctive storytellers, earning widespread acclaim for her thoughtful approach to true crime and narrative audio. She is also the co-creator and host of This Is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.

“Podcasting has changed so much since we started in 2014, and it means very much to be recognized. I have the greatest, most interesting job in the world. I work with the most talented, thoughtful producers every day. I am grateful to them, and to the people who continue to trust us with their stories,” said Judge.

Pablo Torre, host and executive editor of Pablo Torre Finds Out, will receive the Special Achievement Award, recognizing a host or producer whose work has stood out over the past year. The show, produced by Meadowlark Media, won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting for its investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented NBA salary cap rules through a multimillion-dollar endorsement arrangement involving star player Kawhi Leonard. The reporting demonstrated the power of podcast journalism to break major stories and influence conversations far beyond the medium. The show also received the 2026 Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting. “It’s an honor to receive an award that encourages our show’s experimentation — and obsession — with podcasting,” said Torre.

Signal Awards also celebrate the company and agency that earn the greatest number of awards in this year’s competition. Those honors this year are awarded to iHeartPodcasts as the Company of the year and iHeartMedia’s Ruby Studios, which is recognized as the Agency of the Year. Previous honorary recipients include Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie, Hasan Minhaj, Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers of Las Culturistas, and Esther Perel of Where Should We Begin? The 2026 Honorary Distinctions will be presented live at the Signal Awards Winner’s Party on November 9 at 501 Union in Brooklyn, New York.

Listener’s Choice Awards Highlight the Power of Podcast Audiences
In addition to its juried awards, the Signal Awards invite podcast audiences to celebrate their favorite creators and shows through the Listener’s Choice Awards, giving fans a direct voice in recognizing standout work across the medium. This year’s Listener’s Choice voting saw over 260,000 votes from 94,000 unique voters. The Listener’s Choice Awards highlight the direct connection between podcast creators and their communities, and the important role audiences play in recognizing the programming that resonates with them.

For more information and the complete list of 2026 winners, visit: https://signalaward.com/winners.

Media Contact
Molly DeMellier, Head of Communications, Sounds Profitable
molly@soundsprofitable.com
1-607-316-0639

About The Signal Awards
The Signal Awards is mission-focused on uplifting the podcast medium by recognizing the most potent, meaningful and unprecedented audio projects being made today. Now in its fifth year, entrants to The Signal Awards are reviewed by The Signal Awards Judging Academy, an esteemed collective made up of the architects, instigators and trailblazers of the medium. The Signal Awards set a standard for editorial excellence by honoring the organizations, artists, mavericks, brands and storytellers who are shaping the podcast industry.
Find The Signal Awards Online
Website: signalaward.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/signal-awards
Instagram: instagram.com/signalawards
Facebook: facebook.com/signalawards

###

Signal Awards Crown 2026 Winners, Honoring the Risk Takers Shaping Podcasting’s Future