2025 Podcast Awards Winners Announcement – Let the Excitement Begin

Hi everyone!

First off, I need to personally thank you for your participation and patience in the 2025 Discover Pods Awards process. And today, we get to announce the 2025 podcast awards winners.

Participation and, especially, voting this year far outpaced our expectations, so things took slightly longer to put together than we thought. It’s not a bad first world problem to have, and it speaks volumes about the state of independent podcast creators in this community.

Speaking for myself, I was turned onto a number of new to me podcasts that I’ve been checking out during the past several weeks. So thank you to everyone who participated and to your audiences for rallying around the fantastic work that you do.

Without further delay (I know there’s been quite enough of that).

The 2025 podcast Awards Winners

2025 Podcast of the Year

Winner: Friends Talking Shop

Pull up a chair for the ultimate hangout. Hilarious, unfiltered, and deeply relatable conversations that feel like home.

Runner Up: Last Week in Denmark

The essential weekly briefing on Danish life. Stay informed on news, culture, and politics from the happiest place on Earth.

Best New Podcast of 2025

Winner: It’s Getting Late

Perfect for the night owls. Dive into cozy, thought-provoking late-night vibes that explore the mysteries of the quiet hours.

Runner Up: Radio Violence

An intense, high-stakes audio experience that pushes boundaries. Gritty storytelling that keeps your heart racing every episode.

Best Arts Podcast

Winner: Our Built Heritage

Architecture tells a story. Discover the history and soul behind the structures we live in and the spaces we love.

Runner Up: Create Art Podcast

Ignite your inner artist. Practical advice and creative inspiration to help you stop overthinking and start making.

Best Business Podcast

Winner: Purpose 360 with Carol Cone

Learn how to build a brand that matters. Carol Cone explores the intersection of profit, social impact, and authentic purpose.

Runner Up: ADHD-ish

Business advice for the neurodivergent mind. Learn how to turn your unique brain into your greatest professional asset.

Best Comedy Podcast

Winner: Friends Talking Shop

Pull up a chair for the ultimate hangout. Hilarious, unfiltered, and deeply relatable conversations that feel like home.

Runner Up: The Neurotic Vaccine

Laughter is the best medicine for a chaotic world. Smart, cynical, and side-splitting takes on modern life’s anxieties.

Best Education Podcast

Winner: Podcasting Morning Chat

The daily huddle for creators. Level up your show with bite-sized tips on tech, growth, and the future of the industry.

Runner Up: Irish with Mollie

Ditch the textbooks. Learn the Irish language through song, culture, and stories in a way that actually sticks.

Best Fiction Podcast

Winner: Radio Violence

Runner Up: Old Gods of Appalacia

Stunning folk-horror storytelling. Venture into the dark, ancient mountains where things that should be buried don’t stay dead.

Best Health & Fitness Podcast

Winner: About IBD

Real talk for the IBD community. Expert insights and personal stories to help you navigate life with Crohn’s and Colitis.

Runner Up: My Body Can

Redefining fitness through a lens of capability and joy. Celebrate what your body can do rather than how it looks.

Best History Podcast

Winner: Plodding Through the Presidents

The White House like you’ve never heard it. A quirky, deeply researched look at the weird habits and lives of US leaders.

Runner Up: Calm History

The perfect remedy for stress. Explore the fascinating past through soothing narration designed to help you relax or sleep.

Honorable Mention: Cold War Conversations

Best Kids & Family Podcast

Winner: Orbit: Science for Kids on the Move!

Turn car rides into lab time! High-energy science adventures that make learning feel like a total blast for the whole family.

Runner Up: Noodle Loaf

An interactive music-themed podcast that gets kids singing, moving, and laughing. Pure, rhythmic joy for little ears.

Best Leisure Podcast

Winner: The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW)

Uncork the secrets of the vine. An approachable, fun guide to tasting, buying, and enjoying wine without the snobbery.

Runner Up: Conspiring to Argue

Friendly debates over things that don’t matter—and some that do. Join the fun as the hosts pick apart life’s biggest curiosities.

Best LGBTQA Podcast

Winner: Rainbow Crimes

Uncovering the stories that matter. A deep dive into true crime through a queer lens, focusing on justice and visibility.

Runner Up: Woe Begone

A mind-bending sci-fi thriller where a mysterious game bleeds into reality. Dark, queer-led, and utterly addictive.

Best Music Podcast

Winner: Frankie B’s Reggae Session

Feel the rhythm and the soul. The best in reggae, dub, and dancehall curated to bring positive vibes to your speakers.

Runner Up: Soundography

The ultimate deep dive into your favorite discographies. Track-by-track analysis of the albums that defined generations.

Best News Podcast

Winner: Last Week in Denmark

Runner Up: Poduty and The News

Fast-paced, objective, and sharp. Get the headlines you need without the fluff, delivered with a fresh perspective.

Best Politics Podcast

Winner: The Bulwark

Political analysis for the exhausted. Fearless commentary and sharp insights from a center-right, pro-democracy perspective.

Runner Up: The Rachel Maddow Show

The premier destination for deep-dive reporting. Rachel breaks down the complex threads of American politics and law.

Best Science Podcast

Winner: DNA Today

The cutting edge of genetics. Join experts to explore how DNA is changing medicine, forensics, and our understanding of life.

Runner Up: Cause of Death – 100 Seconds to Midnight

A sobering look at the threats to humanity. Science-backed analysis of global risks and how we can survive them.

Best Society & Culture Podcast

Winner: Ear Hustle

Stories from inside San Quentin State Prison. A raw, beautiful, and humanizing look at life behind bars and beyond.

Runner Up: This Podcast is… Uncalled For

Unfiltered takes on the weird quirks of society. Social commentary that is as funny as it is surprisingly insightful.

Best Sports Podcast

Winner: Crime in Sports

What happens when elite athletes go off the rails? A hilarious and shocking look at the biggest scandals in sports history.

Runner Up: Wine & Gold Talk Podcast

The ultimate home for Cleveland Cavaliers fans. Deep-cut analysis, trade rumors, and inside scoops on the Cavs.

Best Technology Podcast

Winner: Cyber Sentries – AI Insight to Cloud Security

Stay ahead of the hackers. Expert advice on how AI is reshaping the world of cloud security and digital defense.

Runner Up: Killswitch

When tech goes wrong. Chilling and fascinating stories about the dark side of innovation and the power of the “off” button.

Best True Crime Podcast

Winner: Lullaby: the Fear Podcast

True crime meets urban legend. Dark, atmospheric tales that will make you double-check the locks before you go to sleep.

Runner Up: Casefile

Fact is scarier than fiction. Highly detailed, anonymous narration of the world’s most baffling and terrifying cold cases.

Best TV & Film Podcast

Winner: There Are Too Many Movies

Too much content, too little time? Let these hosts sift through the noise to tell you what’s worth a watch and what’s a pass.

Runner Up: The Next Reel Film Podcast

Deep-dive cinema school for your ears. Masterful analysis of the classics and cult favorites you thought you already knew.

Conclusion

Another year and another fantastic example of the listeners expressing their voice.

Loudly. We had more votes in this final round than each of the past two years.

Once again, we would all collectively like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s awards season and thank you for turning us on to some shows we’d never heard of. Can’t wait to see what everyone creates in 2026 and beyond.

With Award Season now behind us, we’ll focus on clearing the backlog of the Podcast Spotlight Series.