Submission Categories

Content

Best-in-Class Award: Best Content of the Year

  1. Best Narrative Podcast: This award recognizes outstanding storytelling that weaves together engaging voices, sound design and structure to create a powerful and compelling experience.

  2. Best Interview Podcast: This category celebrates excellence in the art of conversation. This award honors the podcast hosts and producers who draw out compelling stories, expertise and perspective through skillful interviewing that will engage, inspire or challenge the audience. 

  3. Best Educational/Informative Podcast: Honors podcasts that aim to educate audiences through engaging and impactful storytelling. This category recognizes shows that demonstrate outstanding ability to expand listeners’ knowledge of a particular topic in the realm of public affairs. 

  4. Best Limited Series: Recognizes outstanding achievement in a limited series. This category honors productions that deliver a complete, cohesive story through a powerful narrative or theme across a limited number of episodes.

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Creative

Best-in-Class Award: Most Creative of the Year

  1. Outstanding Use of Sound & Music: This award honors sound design that demonstrates the ability to weave music, effects and audio elements together to set the tone and immerse the listener into the story. It celebrates thoughtful, high-quality audio storytelling and clarity.

  2. Best Writing/Script: Highlights excellence in script development, including structure, clarity and voice. This category recognizes the script that informs, drives an impact and understanding while developing a listener connection.

  3. Most Visually Engaging Podcast: This awards recognizes outstanding visual execution in a podcast, including video production, graphics, or visual branding that enhances audience engagement and impact.

  4. Best Cover Art: Awarded to the podcast with cover art that is visually outstanding, memorable and true to the show’s brand. 

  5. Innovation in Public Affairs Podcasting: Entries in this category demonstrate a forward-thinking approach in public affairs podcasting. Through innovating format,technology, or engagement strategies, podcasts in this category should redefine how public policy and civic issues are discussed.

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Impact & Mission

Best-in-Class Award: Most Impactful of the Year

  1. Best Advocacy Podcast: Awarded to the podcast that most successfully champions a cause and moves its audience toward awareness, engagement, or action.

  2. Best Public Policy Podcast: This category honors a podcast that excels in investigating, analyzing, and communicating public policy.

  3. Best Member-Engagement Podcast: This category honors outstanding use of podcasting as a member-engagement strategy, including content design, audience targeting, and measurable results such as increased participation, retention, or advocacy.

  4. Most Impactful Episode: Recognizes the single episode that delivered the greatest mission-driven impact, moving its audience to care, act, or advocate on the issues that matter most.

  5. Best Non-Profit Podcast: This award honors a podcast produced by or for a non-profit organization that effectively advances its mission through compelling storytelling, strong audience strategy, and measurable engagement. Entries should demonstrate alignment between the podcast’s content and the organization’s core purpose.

  6. Best New Public Affairs Podcast: This award recognizes an outstanding public affairs podcast launched in 2025, demonstrating clear potential and impact on public policy discourse.

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Leadership in Communications

Best-in-Class Award: Host of the Year

  1. Best Co-Hosts: This award honors a podcast with exceptional co-hosts whose dynamic keeps audiences engaged.

  2. Best Interviewer: This award recognizes a podcast host who demonstrates exceptional interview skills by asking thoughtful questions, facilitating engaging dialogue, and fostering meaningful conversations that provide value to audiences. 

  3. Best Narrator: This award honors an exceptional podcast narrator whose voice, delivery, and pacing enhance the clarity and impact of the podcast and create an engaging and immersive listening experience.

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Special Recognition

Timbre Awards Podcast of the Year

Each category (Content, Creative, Impact & Mission, and Leadership in Communications) will have a Best-in-Class winner.

The four Best-in-Class category winners will be automatically entered to win Podcast of the Year.

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