Winners were announced at a ceremony for the IWPA Awards, which were held in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by Tink Media Founder Lauren Passell. Over 80 judges evaluated entries based on impact, originality, audio quality, and relevance.
IWPA
The International Women’s Podcast Awards (IWPAs), presented by Tink Media, has announced its winners at a ceremony on Thursday, October 8th in Toronto, Canada at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
Last week, the shortlist of nominees for this year’s awards had been announced from almost 500 entries received this year. The list featured three nominees in each category who have been shortlisted for their exceptional moments of audio.
The shortlist was determined by over 80 judges from around the world and across the podcast industry. Judges assessed entries based on the impact of the moment, originality, quality of the audio and production, relevance to the category, size and resources of the team, and the overall listening experience.
The IWPAs have become a cornerstone event celebrating the creativity, innovation, and impact of women in podcasting across genres and geographies. The IWPAs showcase creative excellence across multiple categories, recognizing the best in the business from around the world, from those who are self-taught and producing shows solo, to those who form part of larger teams at established audio companies.
Lauren Passell, founder of Tink Media, that sponsored the awards, noted: “The winners’ list is an absolute killer collection of audio: a death-defying rescue on the Great Lakes, the story of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, a sitcom-style memoir, and a comedy about America’s debt, and more. It’s wildly different work, all powered by women who are making some of the most compelling audio out there.”
According to Podnews, female monthly podcast listenership has tripled over the past decade, growing from 15% in 2015 to 45% in 2025, according to the Women’s Audio Report: Women & Podcasts released by Edison Research and SiriusXM Media. When factoring in video podcast viewership, estimates climb even higher, with the study revealing that 52% of women age 18+ now consume podcasts in some form.
“As an industry, podcasting tends to be collaborative and collegial,” notes Lashay Jones from Willow Grove Communications. “In podcasting, women are especially supportive of each other. We do that by designing award programs for women, since the men seem to dominate the existing award programs.”
That growth in women in podcasting is not confined to the consumption. According to SSRS, women account for roughly 36% of all podcast hosts across the board, and half of the top 10 podcasts routinely feature female hosts. By contrast, in 2017, women hosted or co-hosted only one-third of the top 100 podcasts. Moreover, women are increasingly leading behind-the-scenes production teams, running audio networks, and founding independent media companies (such as Audiochuck and various boutique studios).
Work remains to be done. Data from Podnews and Sounds Profitable notes that U.S. podcast creators are roughly 66% male and 33% female, reflecting a persistent entry gap rather than higher dropout rates for women.
According to Acast, the intimacy of podcasts creates a “trust dividend” that women hosts are uniquely positioned to exemplify. For instance, listeners find product endorsements from female hosts significantly more convincing (23%) than from male hosts (10%), and 63% of European listeners say women hosts bring valuable, different perspectives. Acast also reports that there is an opening for women’s voices in traditionally male-skewed genres like Sports and Tech, where listeners are hungry for fresh, diverse commentary.
And The Winners Are…
The winners of the 2026 IWPAs spanned genres and topics to bring audio moments that captivated, compelled, and entertained. From a death-defying rescue mission in the Great Lakes and documentary about the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, to a sitcom-style narrative memoir and a comedic take on America’s debt.
Lauren Passell said: “What really took my breath away was being in the room in Toronto. Hearing presenters, winners, and supporters talk about what these awards mean to them was a reminder that women in audio are still fighting for the space, recognition, and resources their work deserves. Podcasting is full of women doing extraordinary things, often without nearly enough fanfare. The work speaks for itself. The industry just needs to get a lot better at listening.”
This year, the IWPAs were presented by Tink Media, an award-winning podcast growth and strategy company that specializes in podcast marketing, PR and creative marketing strategies to help creators achieve sustainable growth in podcasting. Lauren Passell founded Tink Media in 2019 after seeing a need for more podcast-specific marketing services.
Lauren Passell has a lot of experience judging podcasts. She serves as a judge for major audio honors such as The Webby Awards, The Ambies and The Signal Awards, and regularly speaks at events like Podcast Movement and SXSW.
Tink Media
Over the years, Tink has grown into a team that focuses on supporting not only independent podcasters, but also networks and authors looking to amplify their reach within the podcasting space. Lauren and her team have taught growth strategies on stages and in classrooms all over the world, and author two industry newsletters, Podcast the Newsletter and Podcast Marketing Magic. The team at Tink Media has specialized knowledge in the audio space and a passion for the podcasting medium.
Lauren also notes that a recorded version of the ceremony will be available to watch on Tink Media’s website.
The 2026 IWPA Winners:
● Moment of Absolute Honesty
○ Still Life
● Moment of Artistry in Advertising
○ Culture Kids
● Moment of Behind the Scenes Brilliance
○ Points North
● Moment of Comedy Gold
○ Debt Heads
● Moment of Compelling Storytelling
○ Everybody Knows But Me
● Moment of Factual Clarity
○ Fetch the Smelling Salts
● Moment of Insight from a Role Model
○ Freedom Needs a Soundtrack
● Moment of Podcasting Panache in a Language Other Than English
○ L’amour moi j’en ai pas
● Moment of Pure Emotion
○ Two-Faced: John of God
● Moment of Visionary Leadership
○ Freedom Needs a Soundtrack
● Award for Changing the World One Moment at a Time
○ Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast
This year’s IWPAs were supported by CBC, RSS.com, Lower Street, True Native Media, Podchaser, Headliner, PlayerFM, Sound Off Podcast Network, and Women in Media, who recognize the value of celebrating and platforming the work of underrepresented creatives in the podcast industry. With their support, the awards are able to offer initiatives like the IWPA Scholarship Program, a tradition started in years past.
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