The Australian Podcast Awards has revealed its finalists for 2021, unveiling a list of the country’s top podcasts, podcasting moments and talent across 28 categories.

From Best New Podcast to True Crime and Sex and Relationships, the list of finalists represent the best of the best when it comes to local podcasting content.

The list includes well-known faces, such as Hamish & Andy, Julia Gillard and The Chaser, as well as indie favourites, such as Queens of the Drone Age and The Culture, showcasing the incredible breadth of talent leading the podcasting movement here in Australia.

Category winners will be announced at an in-person event on Thursday 2nd December at The Ritz in Sydney.

Winners of each category will also be in the running to win the prestigious Acast Podcast of the Year Award.

Director at the Australian Podcast Awards, Matt Deegan, says, “Year on year we see entries for the Australian Podcast Awards grow at an incredible rate – showing just how much amazing content is being produced here in Australia. Entries are of a truly global calibre and no doubt the judges will have a tough time deciding who should take out the final award across categories. We’re looking forward to another amazing year and an in person celebration of all the finalists and winners in December.”

The final category, the Listeners’ Choice Award, is now open for the public to make their choice known. All Australian podcasts are eligible and anyone can vote. The voting closes on Sunday 29th November at 23:59 AEDT.

 Australian Podcast Awards, Powers by Acast, 2021 finalists:

Best Arts and Culture Podcast

• Brooke & Linda’s Dream Club
• Cancelled Movie Report
• DISH!
• Makers & Traders Audio Trail
• The Culture
• The Reality Bite: Cocktails and Roses

Best Wellbeing Podcast

• All in the Mind
• Get Psyched
• Grow Your mind
• Minding Your Mind
• The Space
• Young Blood

Best Comedy Podcast

• A Rational Fear
• Bodgy Creek Community Podcast
• Hamish and Andy
• Housewarming
• The Candyman
• The Chaser

The Creativity Award

• Background Briefing
• Housewarming
• Moonman In The Morning
• Off The Podium
• SHIFT – Podcasts from the Edge
• Stuff The British Stole

Best Business Podcast

• Curveball
• Makers & Traders Audio Trail
• My Millennial Money Express
• Propagate
• The Mentor with Mark Bouris
• Tradies in Business

Best Sex and Relationships Podcast

• Cntroversy
• Me For Her Podcast
• Sealed Section
• Somebody You Love
• The Good Bits Sexy Stories
• What To Expect When You’re Injecting

Best Radio Podcast

• Moonman In The Morning
• Take 5 with Zan Rowe
• The Hook Up
• The NITV Podcast
• The Sammy J Snack Pack
• Triple M’s Rush Hour with JB & Billy

Best Sports Podcast

• Cricket Daily
• Dyl & Friends
• Football Belongs
• Ordineroli Speaking
• The Far Post
• The Traders AFL Fantasy Podcast

Best Current Affairs Podcast

• 7am
• Ms Represented
• Squiz Shortcuts
• Temporary
• The Briefing
• The Little Red Podcast

Best Lockdown Podcast

• At Home With Brie
• Butterfly: Let’s Talk
• Cooking With Richo
• Linda Marigliano’s Tough Love
• Noisy By Nature
• Rule of Thumb

Best True Crime Podcast

• Fairground Fuckups
• Ghost Gate Road
• I Catch Killers
• Killing Phar Lap
• The Nurse
• Unravel: Juanita

Best Entertainment Podcast

• Between The Houses
• Finding Desperado
• Happy Hour with Lucy and Nikki
• Mamamia Out Loud
• Matt & Alex – All Day Breakfast
• Stuff of Legends

Best Family Podcast

• At Home With Brie
• Imagine This
• Project Ari
• Sun Runners
• We Don’t Have Time For This
• Zero Waste Baby

Best Interview

• Bad Behavior
• The Hardest Word
• Stuff of Legends
• The Adelaide Show Podcast
• The Deep
• The Worst Day of Your Life

Best Documentary Podcast

• A Nation Changed
• Better off Dead
• Closing The Net
• Stuff the British Stole
• Temporary
• The Sure Thing

Smartest Podcast

• A Nation Changed with Kurt Fearnley
• Equity Mates Investing Podcast
• Queens of the Drone Age
• Shoes Off
• Tech Talk with Mathew Dickerson
• Welcome? Podcast

Best Fiction Podcast 

• Private Affairs
• Role to Cast
• SHIFT – Podcasts from the Edge
• Slushy
• Sun Runners
• The Good Bits Sexy Stories

Best New Podcast

• Goodbye to All This
• Linda Marigliano’s Tough Love
• Private Affairs
• Story Kids
• The Culture
• The Flying Doctor Podcast

Best Branded Content Podcast

• A Nation Changed with Kurt Fearnley
• Beauty IQ Uncensored
• Project ARI
• Rethinking Safety
• The Flying Doctor Podcast
• What Happens Next? With Bernard Salt

Best Commercial Campaign

• CommSec – Market Updates
• Jacob’s Creek – Finished Differently
• Quartr – Reporting Season Done Differently

Best Sales Team

• Acast
• ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia
• LiSTNR
• Mamamia
• Nova Entertainment Podcast Network

Spotify Rising Star

• Amanda Yeo, Queens of the Drone Age
• Amelia Christo, StoryKids
• Laura Murphy-Oates, Full Story
• Michelle Akhidenor, The Peers Project
• Sarah Hatherley – Use Of Force

Best Indigenous Podcast

• Brooke & Linda’s Dream Club
• Directions with Stan Grant
• Football Belongs: Australia’s Football Identity
• Led By A Heartstring
• The NITV Podcast
• Welcome? Podcast

Moment of the Year

• Better Off Dead
• Multi Lingual News
• The Deep
• The Imperfects
• The Little Red Podcast
• The Nurse

Best Network or Publisher

• ABC
• DM Podcasts
• Equity Mates Media
• LiSTNR Original Podcasts
• SBS
• Schwartz Media

The Bullseye Award

• Consent & Consequences with Brent Sanders
• Disconnect
• Empowerhouse
• Get Real: Talking Mental Health & Disability
• Outside The Lines
• Story Surprise

The Spotlight Award

• A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard
• Casefile Presents: The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron
• China, If You’re Listening
• Life Uncut
• Parental As Anything with Maggie Dent
• Patient Zero