Podcast Academy Unveils Nominees for Inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio

The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, has unveiled the nominees for its inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies). The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. The ceremony will be streamed LIVE on YouTube, Twitch and other platforms on Sunday, May 16, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA at 5PM PT/8PM ET, with a pre-show starting at 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET.

The Ambies will highlight 164 nominees across 23 categories - with winners to be selected by every voting member of The Podcast Academy - in addition to a Governor's Award. Eligible new members will be able to vote to determine this year's winners if registered by March 26. More information about becoming a member may be found here.

"The Podcast Academy was founded a year ago with the mission to foster inclusivity, elevate awareness and build excitement for podcasts through initiatives, programming and our annual awards," said Chairman of the Podcast Academy, Donald Albright, President & Co-Founder of Tenderfoot TV. "Today, we celebrate the community with the announcement of our first-ever Ambies nominees. They are just as diverse as the creators, both in front of and behind the mic, and are reflective of the far reaching medium. On behalf of the membership, we congratulate all of the nominees."

Dirty Diana, The Left Right Game and Wind of Change earned four nominations each, the most for any program.

A variety of podcasts from independent and nonprofit media entities also earned nominations including Adult ISH (YR Media), Borne the Battle (US Department of Veterans Affairs), DEM TIMES (Our Day), DETOURS (WGBH/PRX), On Being with Krista Tippett (On Being Studios), among others.

This year's slate of inaugural nominees feature activists, award-winners, bestselling authors, luminaries and renowned journalists including: Hillary Rodham Clinton; Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey; NAACP Image Awards-winner Tessa Thompson; Order of Canada recipient Malcolm Gladwell; Back Issue's multidisciplinary artist Josh Gwynn and Netflix's Strong Black Legends Tracy Clayton; New York Times bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe; Forgotten: Women of Juarez's Peabody Award-winning journalist Oz Woloshyn and public radio journalist Mónica Ortiz Uribe; The Heist's Pulitzer-winning reporter Mei Fong and award-winning radio journalist Sally Herships; as well as Pulitzer finalist Ear Hustle, co-hosted by Earlonne Woods, a former inmate at San Quentin, and Rahsaan "New York" Thomas, a current inmate. Full list of nominees below.

THE AMBIES 2021 FULL LIST OF NOMINEES:

Podcast of The Year:

Blockbuster: The Story of James Cameron (Miniseries)

Bunga Bunga

Chasing Cosby

DETOURS

Dirty Diana

Dying for Sex

For Life: The Podcast

Forgotten: Women of Juarez

Say Their Name

The Happiness Lab

Best Business Podcast:

An Arm and a Leg

Brought to you by...

Go For Broke

Masters of Scale

Teamistry

The Heist

Women at Work

Best Comedy Podcast:

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Culture Kings

Don't Ask Tig

Groceries

How Did This Get Made?

The Breakfast Club

Threedom

Best Documentary Podcast:

California City

Conviction Season 2: American Panic

For Life: The Podcast

I'm Not A Monster

Louder Than a Riot

Painkiller: America's Fentanyl Crisis

The Edge: Houston Astros

Best Entertainment Podcast:

Dissect

Even the Rich

For Life: The Podcast

Office Ladies

Prime Video Presents

The First One

The Plot Thickens

Best Fiction Podcast:

Asking For It

Blood Ties - Season 2

DEM TIMES

Dirty Diana

Frozen Frights: Aurora Borealis "Vacant"

The Left Right Game

Two Princes

Best History Podcast:

American History Tellers

American Scandal

DETOURS

Driving the Green Book

Slow Burn

Unfinished: Deep South

Very Presidential with Ashley Flowers

Best Interview Podcast:

A Winning Mindset: Lessons From The Paralympics

Asian Enough

Back from Broken

Death, Sex & Money

More With Anna Maria Tremonti

The FRONTLINE Dispatch

Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller

Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast:

American Innovations

Brave New Planet

How to Save a Planet

In Machines We Trust

Short Wave

Tai Asks Why

Unlocking Bryson's Brain

Best News Podcast:

Do No Harm

Post Reports

Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN Files

The Journal

Today, Explained

VICE News Reports

What Next

Best Original Score and Music Supervision:

Bunga Bunga - Scott Velasquez, Jeff Schmidt

Dead and Gone - Makeup And Vanity Set

Jacked: Rise of New Jack Sound - Marcelino Villalpando

Revisionist History - Luis Guerra

Throughline - Ramtin Arablouei, Drop Electric, Hania Rani

Treasure Island 2020 - Chris Tarry, Jennifer Rowekamp

Two Princes - Score: Greg Laswell; Theme and additional scoring by Bobby Lord; Music Supervision: Jonathon Roberts

Best Performer in Audio Fiction:

DUST, Season 3: CHRYSALIS - Corey Hawkins

Hank the Cowdog - Matthew McConaughey

Light House - Aly Trasher

National Geographic Kids Greeking Out - Kenny Curtis, Tori Kerr

The Left Right Game - Tessa Thompson

Two Princes - Noah Galvin, Ari'el Stachel, Samira Wiley, Gideon Glick, Wesley Taylor, Alfredo Narciso, Mandi Masden, CJ Wilson, Michelle Gomez

We Are Not Alone - Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast:

Borne the Battle

Dare to Lead with Brené Brown

Dear Therapists

Hey Spirit!

Meditative Story

On Being with Krista Tippett

Stay Calm with Bob Roth

Best Podcast Host:

Amicus Presents: The Class of RBG - Dahlia Lithwick

Back Issue - Josh Gwynn, Tracy Clayton

Bunga Bunga - Whitney Cummings

MOBITUARIES: Anna May Wong (Death of a Trailblazer) - Mo Rocca

Revisionist History - Malcolm Gladwell

Science Vs - Wendy Zukerman

Wind of Change - Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Politics or Opinion Podcast:

Burn the Boats

Gaining Ground: The New Georgia

Our Nation of Immigrants

Politically Re-Active

The Dan Bongino Show

The NPR Politics Podcast

Winning Wisconsin

Best Production and Sound Design:

Canary: The Washington Post Investigates - Bishop Sand

Conviction: American Panic - Matthew Boll

Dirty Diana - Millie Iatrou, Ryan Walsh, Katie Halliday, Justin Davey, Matt Yocum & Ben Michev, Neely Oeftering

The Left Right Game - Ryan Walsh, Matt Yocum, Will Files, Ryan Sullivan

Unfinished: Short Creek - John DeLore

Where is George Gibney? - Ger McDonnell

Wind of Change - Henry Molofsky

Best Reporting:

Fiasco: Iran-Contra - Leon Neyfakh

I'm Not A Monster - Josh Baker

Planet Money - Sarah Gonzalez, Kenny Malone, Jacob Goldstein, Robert Smith, Amanda Aroncyzk, Karen Duffin, Mary Childs

Reveal - Shoshana Walter, Laura Starecheski, Ike Srikandarajah

The Take - Malika Bilal, Stefanie Dekker, Safwat al-Kahlout

Unfinished: Short Creek - Sarah Ventre, Ash Sanders

Wind of Change - Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Scriptwriting, Fiction:

Appearances - Sharon Mashihi

DEM TIMES - Rhys Reed-Johnson, Jacob Roberts-Mensah

Dirty Diana - Shana Feste

Looking For Latoya - Amy Aniobi, Chris Sanford, Kindsey Young

Make It Up As We Go - David Hudgins, Brooks Hudgins

National Geographic Kids Greeking Out - Kenny Curtis, Jillian Hughes, Emily Everhart

The Left Right Game - Jack Anderson

Best Scriptwriting, Nonfiction:

And Nothing Less - Robin Linn

Heavyweight - Jonathan Goldstein, Kalila Holt, Stevie Lane

Masters of Scale - WaitWhat Team, Adam Skuse, Katie Clark Gray

Resistance - Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr.

Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN Files - Jonathan Menjivar, Jenelle Pifer, Joel Lovell

Whistleblower - Tim Livingston

Wind of Change - Patrick Radden Keefe

Best Society and Culture Podcast:

Code Switch

Ear Hustle

Heavyweight

Into America

Latino USA

Resistance

You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton

Best Sports Podcast:

17 Weeks

Drafted

Sports Uncovered

The Cam Chronicles

The Edge: Houston Astros

The Lead

Whistleblower

Best True Crime Podcast:

Brainwashed/Uncover

Chasing Cosby

Dr. Death Season 2: Dr. Fata

I'm Not A Monster

Somebody

Supernatural with Ashley Flowers

The Messenger

Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast:

Adult ISH

Dying for Sex

Last Day Season 2

The Happiness Lab

Therapy for Black Girls

We Got You

Where Should We Begin?

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