Launch a Podcast in Quarantine? You Can Enter It for Free in Adweek’s 2020 Podcast Awards

The awards program is back for 2020, but this time we’ve added a new—and one-time-only—category to the mix: Best Podcast Launched in Quarantine.

Aimed at celebrating the boundless creativity we’ve seen emerge from the global lockdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, this category will have no entry fee and is open to any podcast whose launch was due directly to the voluntary or mandatory quarantines implemented worldwide.

“Despite all the darkness and uncertainty of these past few months, we at Adweek have been so energized by the creativity coming out of those whose lives and jobs were suddenly disrupted by the pandemic,” said David Griner, Adweek’s creative and innovation editor. “We’re happy to do what we can to celebrate the content creators who’ve found new ways to express their passions and insights in 2020.”

The theme of the podcast does not need to be related to the pandemic or quarantine. The only requirement is that the podcast was created as a response to the new reality of life in relative isolation or the sudden necessity for remote collaboration. Entries will be judged on their storytelling, insightfulness and production quality.

The other categories in this year’s Adweek Podcast of the Year Awards are:

Podcast Episode of the Year
Podcast Producer of the Year
Podcast Editor of the Year
Podcast Host of the Year
Podcast Executive of the Year
Podcast Network of the Year
Podcast Innovator of the Year
Best Thought Leadership Podcast
Best Technology Podcast
Best Branded Podcast
Best Innovation Podcast
Best Podcast Hosted by a Publisher
Best Interview Podcast
Best Marketing Podcast
Best Agency-Hosted Podcast
Best TV and Streaming Podcast
Best Diversity and Inclusion Podcast
Best Entrepreneurship Podcast
Best Creativity Podcast
Best Podcast Event
Best Podcast Site or App
Podcast of the Year (selected by the jury from winners in other categories)

Adweek’s 2019 Podcast of the Year was Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher. Other honorees, selected by a jury of agency, brand and media professionals with direct podcasting experience, included Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom as Podcast Hosts of the Year, PRX CEO Kerri Hoffman as Podcast Executive of the Year, and Headliner co-founder Neil Mody as Podcast Innovator of the Year.

You can revisit all of 2019’s Podcast of the Year winners here.

Entries will be judged based on episodes or accomplishments completed between September 2019 and August 2020. The fee per entry—except in the free Best Podcast Launched in Quarantine category—is $249 until Aug. 11, then rises to $299.

You can learn more at PodcastOfTheYearAwards.com.