Volume up! The second annual iHeartRadio Podcast Awards acknowledged the biggest and most innovative podcasts across 30 categories on Friday, January 17. Held at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles, podcasters across a vast variety of genres including comedy, crime, music, sports, news, business and finance, pop culture, food, health and wellness, technology, beauty and fashion and much more were celebrated and honored.
Conan O’Brien’s “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” took home the award for Best Comedy Podcast while the captivating “Man In The Window” (L.A. Times/Wondery) stole the show for Best Crime. ABC News’ “The Dropout” scored the big win of the night with Podcast of the Year, a socially voted category, against "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend," "My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark," "Revisionist History," "Stuff You Should Know," "The Daily," "The Joe Rogan Experience," "The Read," "The Ron Burgundy Podcast" and "The Shrink Next Door."
Three Icon Awards were also presented to pay tribute to the creators, organizations and podcasts that have made groundbreaking contributions to podcasting's expanding role in today's pop culture. Tenderfoot TV's Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright received the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. The New York Times' "1619" was honored with the Social Impact Award and NPR's "Life Kit" received the Innovator Award presented by Zoom.
Take a look at the full list of 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards winners below and get streaming! (And click here to relive highlights from last year's iHeartRadio Podcast Awards!)
2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Nominees & Winners:
Best Podcast of the Year:
“Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf)
“My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark” (Exactly Right)
“Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries)
“Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartRadio)
“The Daily” (The New York Times)
“The Dropout” (ABC News) - WINNNER
“The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent)
“The Read” (Loud Speakers Network)
“The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio)
“The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg)
Best Comedy Podcast:
“Comedy Bang Bang” (Earwolf & Scott Aukerman)
“Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf) - WINNER
“My Dad Wrote A Porno” (Independent)
“The 85 South Show” (Independent)
“The Joe Rogan Experience” (Independent)
“The Read” (Loud Speakers Network)
“The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio)
Best Crime Podcast:
“Crime Junkie” (audiochuck)
“Hit Man” (iHeartRadio)
“Man In The Window” (L.A. Times/Wondery) - WINNER
“Root of Evil” (TNT & Cadence 13)
“The Clearing” (Pineapple Street Media/Gimlet)
“The Shrink Next Door” (Wondery/Bloomberg)
“White Lies” (NPR)
Best Music Podcast:
“All Songs Considered” (NPR)
“Bobbycast” (iHeartRadio)
“Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam” (Pushkin Industries)
“DISGRACELAND” (iHeartRadio) - WINNER
“expediTIously with Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris” (PodcastOne)
“Song Exploder” (Radiotopia)
“Sound Opinions” (WBEZ Chicago)
Best News Podcast:
“Pod Save The World” (Crooked Media)
“Post Reports” (The Washington Post)
“The Daily Zeitgeist” (iHeartRadio)
“The Daily” (The New York Times) - WINNER
“The Journal” (The Wall Street Journal & Gimlet)
“Today, Explained” (Vox)
“Up First” (NPR)
Best Sports & Recreation Podcast:
“30 For 30” (ESPN) - WINNER
“Fantasy Footballers” (Independent)
“Knuckleheads” (The Players’ Tribune)
“Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports)
“Sports Wars” (Wondery)
“The Bill Simmons Podcast” (The Ringer)
“The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd” (iHeartRadio & FOX Sports Radio)
Best Overall Host – Male:
Aaron Mahnke (iHeartRadio) - WINNER
Bill Simmons (The Ringer)
Glynn Washington (WNYC)
Jonathan Van Ness (Earwolf / Stitcher)
Malcolm Gladwell (Pushkin Industries)
Marc Maron (Independent)
Roman Mars (Radiotopia)
Best Overall Host – Female:
Amanda Seales (Starburns Audio)
Anna Sale (WNYC)
Holly Frey (iHeartRadio)
Jenna Wortham (The New York Times)
Kelly McEvers (NPR)
Nora McInerny (American Public Media) - WINNER
Rachel Maddow (MSNBC)
Best Business & Finance Podcast:
“Business Wars” (Wondery)
“How I Built This with Guy Raz” (NPR) - WINNER
“Marketplace” (American Public Media)
“The Chris Hogan Show” (Ramsey Network)
“The Indicator from Planet Money” (NPR)
Best Pop-Culture Podcast:
“The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast” (iHeartRadio)
“Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe” (PodcastOne)
“Pop Culture Happy Hour” (NPR)
“Talk Is Jericho” (Westwood One)
“The Breakfast Club” (iHeartRadio) - WINNER
Best Food Podcast:
“Doughboys” (HeadGum/Doughboys Media)
“Gastropod” (Independent)
“The Splendid Table” (American Public Media)
“The Dave Chang Show” (The Ringer & Majordomo Media) - WINNER
“The Sporkful” (Dan Pashman & Stitcher)
Best Wellness & Fitness Podcast:
“Happier with Gretchen Rubin” (Gretchen Rubin/The Onward Project)
“Last Day” (Lemonada Media)
“Life Kit” (NPR)
“Therapy For Black Girls” (Independent)
“Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel” (Esther Perel Global Media/Gimlet) - WINNER
Best History Podcast:
“1619” (The New York Times)
“Lore” (Independent)
“Mobituaries with Mo Rocca” (CBS)
“Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries) - WINNER
“Stuff You Missed In History Class” (iHeartRadio)
Best Kids & Family Podcast:
“#MOMTRUTHS with Cat & Nat” (Independent)
“Brains On!” (American Public Media)
“Story Pirates” (Gimlet) - WINNER
“The Longest Shortest Time” (Stitcher)
“Wow In The World” (NPR)
Best Fiction Podcast:
“Blackout” (Endeavor Audio & QCODE) - WINNER
“Carrier” (QCODE)
“Limetown” (Two-Up)
“Passenger List” (Radiotopia)
“Welcome To Night Vale” (Night Vale Presents)
Best Science Podcast:
“Hidden Brain” (NPR) - WINNER
“Invisibilia” (NPR)
“Science Vs” (Gimlet)
“StarTalk Radio” (Independent)
“Stuff To Blow Your Mind” (iHeartRadio)
Best Technology Podcast:
“TechStuff” (iHeartRadio)
“This Week In Tech” (Independent)
“Reply All” (Gimlet) - WINNER
“Recode Decode” (Recode)
“Vergecast” (The Verge)
Best Ad Read:
“Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” (Armchair Umbrella)
“Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco & Earwolf) - WINNER
“Pod Save America” (Crooked Media)
“Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries)
“The Ron Burgundy Podcast” (iHeartRadio)
Best Political Podcast:
“Intercepted” (The Intercept)
“NPR Politics” (NPR)
“Pod Save The People” (Crooked Media) - WINNER
“Political Gabfest” (Slate)
“The Ben Shapiro Show” (The Daily Wire)
Best TV & Film Podcast:
“Binge Mode” (The Ringer)
“How Did This Get Made?” (Earwolf) - WINNER
“Rewatchables” (The Ringer & Bill Simmons)
“Straight Up with Stassi” (Radio.com)
“The Bechdel Cast” (iHeartRadio)
Best Spanish-Language Podcast:
“El Cine De LoQueYoTeDiga” (LoQueYoTeDiga)
“El Show de Piolín” (Eduardo “Piolín” Sotelo | reVolver Podcasts)
“Nadie Sabe Nada” (Cadena SER)
“Radio Ambulante” (NPR) - WINNER
“TED en Español” (TED)
Best Advice/Inspirational Podcast:
“Call Her Daddy” (Barstool Sports)
“Dear Prudence” (Slate)
“Death, Sex & Money” (WNYC)
“Life Kit” (NPR)
“Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations” (OWN)
“Terrible, Thanks For Asking” (American Public Media)
“Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer” (HeadGum) - WINNER
Best Beauty & Fashion Podcast:
“Dressed: The History of Fashion” (iHeartRadio)
“Fat Mascara (At Will Media)
“Forever35” (Independent) - WINNER
“Naked Beauty” (Independent)
“The Cut On Tuesdays” (Gimlet)
Best Travel Podcast:
“On She Goes” (Independent)
“Overheard at National Geographic” (National Geographic) - WINNER
“She Explores” (She Explores)
“The Wild” (KUOW)
“Travel with Rick Steves” (Independent)
Best Spirituality & Religion Podcast:
“A Little Juju Podcast” (Independent)
“Almost 30” (Independent)
“Elevation with Steven Furtick” (Elevation Church)
“On Being with Krista Tippett” (On Being Studios) - WINNER
“The Joel Osteen Podcast” (Independent)
Best Green Podcast:
“Climate One” (The Commonwealth Club)
“Drilled” (Critical Frequency) - WINNER
“Sustainability Defined” (Independent)
“Terrestrial” (KUOW News and Information)
“Warm Regards” (Independent)
Best Branded Podcast:
“Camp Monsters” (REI Co-Op)
“Going Through It” (MailChimp)
“NBC’s Songland” (NBC) - WINNER
“Spit” (23&Me)
“Trained” (Nike)
Photos: Getty Images