Canadian Podcast Awards nominations open for ninth edition

Canadian Podcast Awards nominations opened on October 26, inviting people who work in Canadian podcasting to put forward shows for the ninth edition of the peer-run awards. Members can nominate any eligible show, including their own, across 31 categories that span comedy, true crime, arts, sports and current affairs. The public also gets a say through the People's Choice category, which runs alongside the member-judged categories and gives listeners a direct vote for a favourite show.

To qualify, a show must be produced in Canada with a primarily Canadian team and a majority of Canadian hosts, and it must have released at least five episodes in 2025. Registration for the membership that nominates is free for Canadians who work in podcasting, according to the awards organizers. The low barrier is deliberate: the program wants independent shows with small teams to stand on the same footing as programs from large media companies.

How the voting works

Nominations close on November 14. The most nominated shows in each category then advance to a member vote that runs from November 17 to December 2, and the winners will be revealed in an online broadcast on December 16. The full calendar is published on the awards website, giving shows and their listeners several weeks to take part before each deadline passes.

Once nominations close, the field narrows to the most nominated shows in each category, and registered members cast the deciding votes. The People's Choice category works differently, since it opens the decision to the wider listening public rather than restricting it to members. That split gives the awards two kinds of recognition at once: peer approval from people who make podcasts, and popular support from the audiences who listen to them.

Last year, members submitted more than 2,200 nominations, and the number of people nominating grew by more than a third compared with the previous edition. The awards were founded in 2018 by PodCamp Toronto founder John Leschinski and are run by a volunteer team. The program recognizes both independent creators and established media, a mix that keeps the shortlists varied instead of dominated by a handful of big networks.

Why the awards stay peer-run

Leschinski said Canadians have a habit of waiting for recognition from somewhere else, and the awards exist so the people making podcasts in Canada can celebrate each other. Canadian culture is easy to take for granted, he said, and backing homegrown voices counts more now than ever. The message frames the Canadian Podcast Awards nominations as a community effort rather than a bid for industry prestige.

The peer-run model also shapes what gets noticed. When the people choosing winners are the ones recording, editing and publishing shows themselves, craft and originality can outweigh marketing budgets. A small show with a loyal audience and a clear idea can reach the shortlist on the strength of its episodes, while a heavily promoted show still needs members to actually nominate it. For listeners, that makes the shortlists a useful discovery list rather than a repeat of the charts.

For Canadian shows, the open nominations window offers a direct route to wider discovery. Nominated shows gain attention from listeners who follow the awards, and a nomination can help a small program find sponsors, guests and new subscribers. Shows hoping to take part need a member to nominate them before the window closes, and listeners can back a favourite through the People's Choice category. The Canadian Podcast Awards nominations close in mid-November, so shows and fans have a short window to act.

The announcement arrives during a busy season for podcast recognition, with shortlists for other national podcast awards also circulating this autumn. For Canadian podcasting, the timing gives local shows a moment in the spotlight before year-end lists and holiday listening guides take over. The Canadian Podcast Awards nominations give those shows a stage of their own, judged by the community that makes them.

Anyone who is Canadian and works in podcasting can register for free on the awards website and start nominating right away, including a show they work on themselves. There is no entry fee, and no jury drawn from outside the medium decides the winners. The Canadian Podcast Awards nominations process keeps that community spirit intact, with recognition coming from the people who make the shows. PodcastingToday reported the nominations opening, and Podnews carried the awards announcement.