Search for your favourite podcast on the UK Podcast Directory and, from 1st July 2015 through to 31st July 2015, you’ll have the chance to nominate them for an award.
What You Need To Know
Timeline
1st July 2015: Nominations open
31st July 2015: Nominations close
Mid-August 2015: Finalists will be announced (once all public votes have been verified)
Saturday, 12th September 2015 (18:30): UK Podcasters Awards – Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK
Nominations
We have nominations so that podcasters with the most engaged audience can encourage their listeners to nominate them.
We do this because the podcasters who are building their own communities are clearly doing something right and that deserves to be recognised and rewarded.
Why do I need to be listed in the UK Podcast Directory and why do I need to wait for approval?
We want to make sure that podcasters who are eligible for nominations are:
- Active podcasters (not podfaders)
- Based in the UK
- Listed on iTunes
- Displaying decent artwork
- Releasing episodes at least once a month
All UK Podcast Directory listings are verified and checked by a real person. It is the same when you submit your show to other directories (such as iTunes and Stitcher); you have to wait for that too as they don’t instantly approve podcasts.
What about people with lots of “mates gaming the nomination system”?
We verify all nominations by email. That means that the voter will need to confirm their vote by checking their email. We also cross-check IP addresses and geo-location to confirm that each and every nomination is real. Any nominations cast via VPNs or anonymous networks will be instantly discarded to ensure fairness. There is also an option to nominate with one click using Facebook or Google.
How many times am I able to nominate?
Only one nomination per podcast per person per day (additional votes will not be counted). You are free to vote for multiple podcasts in one day.
After nominations are closed
*This is the Awards’ first year and so we are testing what works.*
There are 16 categories in the UK Podcast Directory. Each podcast that is submitted to the directory is allowed to select only one category to be listed in. At the nominations stage, we are looking for people to vote for any podcast in any category. After the nominations period ends, we will select the top 3 podcasts from each of those categories.
If there are less than 3 podcasts in any given category, then that category will not be eligible for an award. However, that does not mean that the top nominated podcast in that category will not be eligible for an award, because we’re giving out a couple of awards that recognise podcasters across all categories:
- Most Engaged Audience
- UK Podcaster of the Year
There will also be an International Podcaster award, and those nominating a UK podcast can also nominate any international podcast at the same time.
These nominations will help to narrow down the awards categories. Once that has been determined, we will create shortlisted categories.
Deciding who wins
The final decision will be based 50% on the public nominations and 50% on the judgement of an independent jury.
What will the jury look for to determine winners?
- Audio quality
- Branding
- Content
- Professionalism
- Description of the podcast
- Podcast website
- How easy is it to listen and subscribe
- Artwork
- Social media activity
When will the Awards happen?
The UK Podcasters Awards is an evening ceremony that forms a part of the New Media Europe conference. It will take place on 12th September 2015, at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.